Song of a Wolf
by Eviltiger
Summary: Sakura, Fai, Yui, Tomoyo, and Kurogane led a peaceful life. They were the troupe 'Feathers', that moved from city to city, giving performances. Then, that one rainy night, everything changed. That one rainy night, when they found the amber-eyed boy. SxS, but not what you think... Read? Please?
1. It Was Raining

**Song of a Wolf**

**Chapter One: It was Raining**

**By: Eviltiger**

**Author's note: Don't own anything. I'm kinda nervous about how this one will turn out, and I somehow get the feeling it'll be long… Please review?**

**LET'S STAAAAAAART!**

* * *

The boy stared at the door, the door that only locked from the outside. He frantically turned to stare at the walls, the walls with no windows, and for the first time in his life, the walls seemed to close in on him. He had to get out. He had to get out. He had to find him! Disbelief started to ebb away as adrenaline began to pump through his veins. A small logical part of his brain was telling him that he was right now in a state no one should make decisions in. The rest of him just needed to leave.

Desperation started to well up in him. He needed to get out, get out of here! He needed to find him! Looking wildly around the room the boy was pacing now, his chocolate locks flying around his face. The door was always locked, he knew that, but he couldn't help but try anyway.

The boy jiggled the handle, knowing full well that it wasn't unlocked, and there would be no way he could break down the door, even if the wood was rotted and old. It was suddenly clear why _that_ man never let him improve his coordination or strength; the bastard didn't want him to escape. Giving up, the boy turned his back on the door abruptly. Trying to open the door would be useless, and it would alert _that_ man, if he weren't already aware.

The boy knew he had to be quiet, but none of that seemed to matter. Just escape. He would be lying if he said that he hadn't thought of leaving all these years, but he always dismissed it, knowing it was impossible. That and the fact that most of the time he couldn't even wake up from his semi-conscious state. Today changed everything. Along with the small presence in the right pocket of his jeans, light as a feather, yet the amber-eyed boy felt like it was the weight of the world, crushing him, urging him to hurry, hurry, or it will be too late.

With a crazed look on his face, the boy turned to the walls. A part of him knew he couldn't break them, and even if by some miracle he did the ground was twelve feet below at most optimistic guess. The other part of his brain, however, wasn't thinking at all, completely taken over by adrenaline. That part won. Ferociously pounding on the closest gray wall, the fifteen year old registered that his fists were beginning to sting, but it didn't matter. A few moments later his hands began to heat up abnormally, but not in a way that burned. Even then, the boy did not care and continued to pound the wall. He just needed to get out. Out. Out. OUT!

Then, four things happened all at once; a sudden explosion accompanied by a red light threw the teen into the opposite wall, leaving him with a rapidly fading heat from his hands and huge hole in the wall he had been pounding on. Before he could even fully register what had exactly happened, footsteps towards his door were heard.

Standing up quickly, albeit shakily, the boy half stumbled half ran towards the opening, the gate to freedom, as the footsteps grew louder and louder. Letting the cold air of the night hit him, the teen felt strangely alive. He shivered, but not because of the cold. That hadn't hit him yet, as he was too busy realizing that this escape would be the first time he went out of the house in seven years. If you could call it a house anyways: prison was more appropriate.

The slow unlocking of the door made the boy snap back out of his thoughts, focusing at the matter at hand. Looking down at where the ground was, for a moment he hesitated. He didn't have to do this after all. He could just stay here and pretend to not know anything, and this could all be an accident. Quickly banishing that thought, he leaned out so almost his whole body was outside, and just as the door opened, he jumped.

For a moment, it was calm and everything almost seemed to stop, except for him, just peacefully falling. The dream shattered the moment his feet touched the ground. Time started to move again, and the landing was a lot more painful than he had expected. White and green splotches danced in front of him for a few minutes as the boy lay gasping for breath, inhaling the clean fresh air and greedily drinking in the surroundings.

Every breath, every touch, every sound, the grass scratching his palms, his head spinning, his body screaming, the adrenaline rushing through his veins, it was almost all to much, nearly making him pass out. It was probably better that it had been nighttime, for he might have surely died from being overwhelmed if it had been during the day, when he could see clearly. A sudden burst of joy made him leap to his feet, realizing that he had actually _escaped_, he was free!

Remembering that any second now, that man would be coming after him, the teen stood, shakily making his way towards the trees. It didn't matter that his feet were already throbbing from disuse and that he hadn't run in seven years. He had to run. He had to get away from that man, and find _him._ Determined, the boy ran, tripping over tiny rocks embedded in the grass as he went. He ran, even as he swore he heard his name being called out, but only in a voice calm and quiet. A voice that belonged to _that_ man, saying,

"Run if you want, but this won't change anything, Wolf."

* * *

Wolf ran for hours. He stumbled, fell, tripped, and sat hundreds of times, the dark incapacitating him, and his body telling him to stop. The forest flew by him, a whirl of figures and shapes. At a few points the boy thought he would never be able to go on, the dizziness in his head pounding in a steady beat, his feet incredibly sore, and his breath coming in gasps. But then he would remember what was in the pocket of his jeans, and he'd keep going.

Now however, things were taking a turn for the worst. Wolf had no idea where he was, but that had been from the start of the journey. He was starting to feel cold, though, and he wondered fuzzily if people made clothes to make you feel warm even in this weather. He wouldn't know. Shivering, a few more things became apparent to him: the pounding in his head had gotten steadily worse, his vision was starting to haze over, his feet hurt to the point of excruciating, and he was incredibly thirsty.

As if mocking him slightly, it also began to rain. It started off small, just a slight drizzle, but before Wolf knew it the small rain had turned into a full on thundering downpour. Wolf slowly raised his head to the sky while his jeans and shirt started to weigh more and more. Trying to catch a few drops into his parched mouth, the teen took a few dizzy steps before he crashed to the ground. He knew it was a bad place to rest, but he was just so tired… So…

With a start Wolf jumped up from the ground. He had almost forgotten about what was in his pocket! Had it gotten wet?! Wiping his right hand dry as best as he could and then carefully shielding it from the rain, the boy gingerly, as if performing a very delicate surgery searched in his right pocket for the item. After hurrying under a tree to examine it as best as he could (with small flashes of lighting being the only source of light, it wasn't easy) but all the while being careful not to let any rain splatter on it, Wolf sighed in relief as he realized the item was only a little wet around the edges.

After a little slow contemplation, he decided that it would be safest for him to keep it in his right hand, which was now dry from wiping it thoroughly on the tree bark. Knowing he needed to get out of the forest, Wolf began to look for signs of an end to the thick trees and undergrowth.

* * *

A young teen carefully chopped up the vegetables for the meal they would be having that night on a small cutting board in a cozy kitchen with clean white walls. She glanced worriedly up at the sky out of a small window in front of her; it looked like rain might be coming soon. Having put out the laundry to dry only half an hour ago, there was no way it would be dry by now, and if a storm came, she'd have to still hurry and bring them back in. Her small pink lips turned in a slight frown, as her eyes that were often admired by their jade green color remained at the window.

"Is something bothering you Sakura?" A blonde man asked the teen. He had one golden eye, the other covered with a black eye patch. He had been stirring a pot over a small stove meticulously, until he had seen his auburn haired companions' small frown. Sakura smiled and shook her head, a trace of worry still etched on her face.

"No, not really Fai, it just looks like a storm might be coming and the laundry isn't quite done drying yet." She said, before she finished chopping the vegetables, and slid them neatly into the pot Fai had been stirring.

"Ah, yes it does look like a storm is coming. I'd be more than happy to help you if you want." The man said, smiling kindly down at the teen. The girl smiled gratefully, as if there was another meaning behind the words.

"Well, I'd better set the table, after all, everybody must be tired and hungry." She said, and went to a small cupboard to take out five bowls. Fai hummed in agreement.

"Today I think we did really well, and lots of people came too!" Fai said cheerfully. Adding a few spices into the soup boiling over the stove the man nodded and turned off the heat. At this time Sakura had already set the table, which was ready with bowls, spoons, glasses of cold water, and a wide plate of bread.

"Do you want to call them in Sakura? It seems we're just about done." The man exclaimed with a grin. Sakura nodded, determined, and went out of a door in the kitchen. Moments later a small teenager around the same height as Sakura twirled in, accompanied by a tall dark man. The teenage girl sat gracefully in one seat, ebony hair flowing around her like silk, her dark eyes shining at the sight of the steaming bowls of soup. The man sat down next to her, mussing her hair up slightly as his fiery red eyes flashed with amusement as she squeaked indignantly, trying in vain to get the spiky haired man's hand off her head.

Fai chuckled at the sight of affection, taking a seat across the two. The man narrowed his eyes, and sent Fai the stink eye, to which he simply laughed off. While this was going on, Sakura returned, accompanied with a man that had the exact same appearance as Fai, with the exception of two clear blue eyes on his face instead of a single golden one. Fai grinned and waved his twin over to the seat next to him.

"Yui, Kuro-sama's being a grouch again!" The blonde exclaimed. The tall man, or Kurogane, scowled at Fai. Yui laughed while taking his seat next to his twin.

"But my dear, Kurogane is _always_ a grouch. Unless of course, the sweet Tomoyo is involved." Yui said, eyes sparkling with mirth.

"Hey, leave my little sister out of your gossip you damn twins!" Kurogane said glaring with a look that could kill. Tomoyo giggled slightly next to him, and shook her head, sighing. Kurogane looked at her, a small smirk on his face.

"Yeah, you're right, they are way more immature than you." He said, turning to look at the twins. Tomoyo simply looked at Kurogane, one eyebrow raised. The tall man chose to ignore the pointed message: _You're just as bad as them_, and took a sip of water. At this time Sakura limped from the kitchen to the table, two items in her hand.

"If anyone wants salt or pepper, I brought them now. Sorry for forgetting!" She apologized, setting them down on the table before she went to sit at her seat. Fai looked at her worriedly.

"Is your leg acting up Sakura?" He asked, having noticed the more severe limp than usual. Sakura shook her head furiously, but upon seeing the looks the twins and Tomoyo were giving her she ducked her head, embarrassed.

"I might have gone a little carried away with the dance." She mumbled, bangs covering her eyes. Tomoyo sighed, while Fai gave her a sympathetic glance.

"If it hurts, tell us dummy." Kurogane said gruffly, and then began to eat. Sakura mumbled a small thank you, and then Fai cheerfully told everyone to dig in. With chorused consent, the group heartily ate the meal, oblivious to the rain outside turning into a thunderstorm.

* * *

When everyone had eaten their fill Kurogane immediately stood up and stalked out of the room. Sakura began to get up to clear the table, but Tomoyo and Yui beat her to it. When the girl began to protest, Tomoyo gave her a warm, but firm look, while Yui shook his head and gently tapped her forehead with one knuckle on his free hand.

"Sa-ku-ra. Be a good girl, and let us do the work for once! Otherwise, you'll collapse one day from working yourself to death!" Yui said, smiling warmly. Embarrassed, the young girl sat back down at the table, secretly very grateful that she didn't have to get up. Moments later, Kurogane returned back into the room, carrying a leg brace. Walking over to Sakura he handed her the leg brace, simply nodding at her thank-you. After putting on her leg brace, the teenager looked outside. It was raining heavily now, and Sakura felt as if there was something that she had forgotten… Suddenly Fai, who had been sitting down at the table, stood up quickly, slapping his forehead.

"Shoot! Sorry Sakura!" He said apologizing profoundly before he continued. "The laundry is still outside!" At this Sakura's eyes widened, and she immediately stood up and began to hobble toward the purple door that led outside as fast as she could. It wasn't until the door had closed fully behind her before the group realized what she had done.

"Cripes Sakura!" Yui groaned knocking his head against the cupboard door. "At least put a coat on before you go into a thunderstorm!"

The wind howled and thunder rumbled, the rain beating against Sakura's skin like tiny bullets. Shivering, the teenager held her forearms tightly as she walked in the direction of were the collapsible clotheslines were at one side of the trailer that was the gang's home. Quickly finding the clotheslines, she began to take the clothes off as quickly as she could in the dark and freezing rain. Inwardly she made a mental note of how stupid she was to forget a basket to hold the pile of clothes in. Sighing, she gathered it into her arms, trying to ignore the wet and heavy feeling of the clothes.

Walking slowly over to where the door was, she was about to knock on the purple wood when the girl heard something that made her pause and turn around. She couldn't see anything except dark shapes however, like the forest a little ways away, the occasional shrub here and there, and a big rock a few feet away from the trailer. Sakura was about to turn back around when all of a sudden, she remembered something: there never had been any big rock near the trailer.

Turning back towards the rock, the maiden inched closer slowly, peering at it all the while, trying to make sense of it. A clump of light colored mud was touching the rock, but that was as far as she could make out. Then, the rock gave a feeble moan. Sakura shrieked and jumped back a little, before things began to make sense. The unmoving mass wasn't a rock, it was a boy, and the mud was hair covering his face!

Dropping the clothes, Sakura rushed over to the boy, forgetting everything that the group had constantly told her about being careful. Carefully, she brushed the hair out of the boy's face and checked for injuries. Finding only a few cuts, bruises and gashes from what she could see, the teen gingerly tried picking him up, only to fail miserably. Giving up, she gathered up the clothes hurriedly, and rushed back to the trailer.

Pounding on the door ferociously, she was met by Tomoyo, with a look of curiosity on her face. Sakura couldn't talk, since she was breathing so hard, and managed to only make out a few words.

"Th-there. Boy! Hurt. Help!" She barely made out. Tomoyo nodded and in a few moments Kurogane was outside with Sakura. Not even bothering with a coat, the man simply looked at Sakura before the young woman showed him where the boy was. Nodding, Kurogane walked over to the motionless pile and hefted him up gently until he was being carried by the tall man bridal style.

"Let's get him in." The tall man said, and Sakura nodded while opening the door as wide as it could go before walking in behind the man carrying the boy. After glancing worriedly at the storm, the auburn-haired girl quickly shut the door firmly behind her and locked it. Neither of the girls nor the man had noticed that the injured boy's right fist was clenched tight like a hammer, as if protecting something from the world.

* * *

**End of Chapter 1**

**Okay… What'd you think? I'm a little proud of it… **


	2. Her Eyes Were Green

**Song of a Wolf**

**Chapter Two: Her Eyes Were Green**

**By: Eviltiger**

**Author's Note: I'm still kind of uncertain how it's going to go… But please review and constructive criticism is always appreciated!**

**AHOOOOOOOOOOY!**

* * *

Darkness. Peaceful darkness. It was always like this. Just simple darkness he could slip into. So why bother trying to fight it? Why not just let go of all thoughts, slip into that inviting quiet? Why not just lie still in the soft silky sheets? Wait. Silky? Something was different. The sheets covering him weren't so inviting, the blanket slightly scratchy, lighter. And there was a scent. A faint, yet detectable aroma, almost making him… hungry? This was not his room.

Slowly Wolf forced himself out of semi-consciousness, cracking his eyes open. Color suddenly greeted his long deprived senses, along with sunshine, and shapes and more colors. Closing his eyes quickly, Wolf waited a little before he tried again, except this time a lot slower, even though a small part of him was excited to see more, anxious to see more, needed to see more.

Once he had his eyes open, Wolf tried to sit up. A wave of nausea hit him, but he kept going, because he had to. Once fully in a sitting position, Wolf let everything fully hit him. First off, his mouth felt dry, still thirsty, but not unbearable. Then, his hands were tingling, after being dragged and gripping the bed sheets, for the material was slightly scratchy, yet comforting and warm. He knew the blanket couldn't have weighed more than a pound, yet it felt so heavy. Cool cloth was wrapped around his forehead lightly, along with a few bandages covering various areas of his skin. He was still wearing his own clothes though, which came as a slight relief.

After that came scent. Something warm and wonderful was in the air, probably the smell of food, along with the smell of fresh, clean sheets. There was also a small hint of earthiness and sweetness, probably because of the plants on the windowsill. Wolf had saved the best for last, savoring each sense until he came to the grand finale: sight.

He was in a small room, with the walls painted a soft blue. The ceiling, also a soft blue, had a small light fixture, almost like a bowl turned over. There were two doors, one a light green, the other a pearl white. One probably led to storage of some type, for clothes or such. The bed Wolf was in had beige blankets, sheets, and a white pillow, while the bed itself was a deep mahogany. Next to the bed was a small dresser painted a night black. On the opposite side of the bed a few feet away there was a window, with two small purple drapes pulled back to let sunshine on a few flowers in pots on the windowsill. The window itself was white. Wolf had never seen more color in his life before. Mesmerized, the boy could only stare at the simple yet color bursting room.

Then, it all came crashing back down on the teenage boy. What had happened, what he had done, and the item that had been in his right pocket. The item! Wolf quickly whipped his head towards his right hand, and unclenched the fist he hadn't even realized he'd been making. Upon opening his hand, the boy gave a sigh of relief, seeing as it was still there, and let the spots crowding his eyes overwhelm him. Leaning back against the bed's backboard, the boy completely relaxed for the first time in seven years, letting himself rest his head on the cool wood.

Then, Wolf heard the strangest sound. It was footsteps, yet a little off almost. First there would be one small light step, and then it would be accompanied by a _clunk_ which would be quickly followed up by another light step, almost as if the person had a metal leg and was walking favoring the human leg. Wolf would have found it amusing, if the footsteps hadn't been growing closer and closer to the light green door.

As Wolf watched, renewed tenseness and anxiety, the handle of the light green door turned softly, and with a small _click_, the door opened slowly without making a sound. The teenager's eyes widened as he could only stare at the girl at the door, speechless. The room that had once seemed bright and colorful looked dull and pale now compared to the teenager standing at the door.

She had a slender frame with healthy glowing skin, auburn messy hair that went to her mid-neck with two strands that curled slightly ending a little past her shoulders, and jade-green eyes. Green vibrant beautiful eyes. It wouldn't have mattered if she had been wearing rags, she would still have outshone the whole room anyways, but as it were, her attire only helped her appearance. She had on a light pink tank top, accompanied by a long midnight blue skirt that swept to her feet and seemed to shimmer slightly in the light. A small white cloth that went over the skirt had a few stains here and there, but if anything, it just made the perfect look endearing as well. And finally, tied around her neck was a small sash with a flower imprint.

Time seemed to stop as Wolf stared at her, took in everything, and the boy decided that there was nothing more beautiful in the world than her. The girl hadn't looked at him yet, but then she lifted her gaze from the door to meet his eyes. She stared at him for a little while, and then parted her mouth slightly. Wolf could only stare as she parted those cherry lips, and then screamed.

The girl limped quickly from the room, fleeing so fast one moment she was there, and in the next she was gone. Wolf could only gape in shock as the world started to jumble and swirl before his eyes. Pretty soon black dots started to appear before his eyes, and Wolf knew he would be unconscious soon. The last thing coherent thought he had was, 'Such pretty eyes', before everything faded away leaving just the dark.

* * *

Wolf felt himself drifting. Where, he didn't know, but somehow he knew it was important. He had to keep drifting, he couldn't wake up now. As if on cue, the darkness surrounding Wolf was broken into by a small ray of light. The tiny pinprick began to expand, slowly reaching towards Wolf. Panicking, the boy tried to go faster, but when simply drifting, nothing can make you go faster. Soon, the light met Wolf, and the boy slowly opened his eyes.

His eyes adjusted faster this time than the last, and he found himself able to see within a matter of seconds, although there was a dull throb of pain inside his head. Staring up at the ceiling, Wolf turned his head slightly to focus on a figure that hadn't been there previously- a man.

The man had light blonde locks that were drawn back into a small ponytail, one bright golden eye, and a black sash that wrapped around his head covering the other eye. He was tall and slim, but Wolf could tell he was strong as well. The man wore a dark blue shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, and navy blue jeans accompanied by a tie-dye scarf that was being used as a belt. Seeing the boy awake, the man smiled cheerfully.

"Ah, I see you're awake. How are you feeling?" The man asked. Wolf hadn't planned on saying anything, but then he remembered his encounter with the girl, and managed to crack out two words.

"The… girl?" It hurt to speak, the teenager suddenly realized. It felt as if his throat was on fire. The man smiled kindly, and as if reading his thoughts, held a glass of water to Wolf's lips. The boy drank it down greedily, and after he had two more glasses of the cool sweet beverage the pounding in his head began to gradually subside, while the fire in his throat was extinguished. The man had waited until Wolf had finished drinking before he answered the question.

"You must mean Sakura. She was actually the one who found you and brought you in. She sometimes has… lapses in her memory and forgets things very easily, so that's why she was so startled to see you. I think she remembers now, as she was asking me to give you her deepest apologies. She's such a sweet girl." Fai said. Wolf found himself almost nodding at the last statement in agreement, but quickly stopped himself. He chanted the girl's name inside his head, and silently mouthed it, just to see how it would roll off his tongue if he ever said it. The boy was about to open his mouth for a question when a quiet knock on the light green door announced the entrance of another person.

Hoping it was the green eyed girl- Sakura was her name if he heard correctly, Wolf turned his head quickly, making it pound slightly in protest. While the pounding started to fade away, Wolf did a double take as he saw the man who came in. The man who had come in was already sitting next to the bed as well! After a few moments of confusion, Wolf began to notice the differences between the two, and took a good look at the man who had come in and sat next to his twin.

The man had blonde hair as well, but his hair tumbled lazily onto and around his shoulders instead of being pulled into a ponytail. He had two blue eyes instead of one golden one, and he wore a bright yellow t-shirt, even though he did have matching jeans with his twin. A red bandana was tied around his wrist.

"Ah! Silly me! I forgot to tell you my name! I'm Fai, and my twin here is named Yui." Fai said, pointing to himself and then nodding to Yui. Yui smiled, but not as widely as Fai. Yui seemed a little calmer than the hyper blond Wolf had first met. The teenaged boy shook his head slowly, and repeated those names inside his head as well, a few times less than he had repeated Sakura's though.

"This is where we the members of 'Feathers' live. There are two other people in the troupe that you haven't met, but then that's everyone! We are a traveling group that sings, dances, and performs acrobatics. We go from town to city giving performances. Although we're probably the smallest troupe ever, don't let our numbers fool you! But I don't suppose you want to hear the whole sales pitch, so I'll stop there. We found you collapsed outside of our trailer, and we took you in. You've been out of it for about a day." The man named Fai said, talking a little too fast for Wolf's liking. When Wolf had finally processed everything the man said, the boy nodded slowly.

"So, you want to tell us your name and maybe why you were in such a state?" The other man, Yui, said. Wolf remained silent at this. If he wasn't going to stay too long here, there was no need in giving away unnecessary information. He didn't know how the men would take that though, so he was a little apprehensive. The teenager was surprised thoroughly when all they did was shrug a little while Fai said,

"Ah, no sweat. If you don't want to tell us, you don't need to. I'd better go get you some food, and tell Sakura you're awake." Fai stood up, and headed towards the light green door. After struggling into a sitting position, Wolf sat in silence with Yui, who seemed perfectly content to just sit next to him and say nothing. It was clear that if there were going to be any conversations, Wolf would be the one who would have to instigate it. That was just fine with the boy, however, and a small quiet hung in the room.

The quiet ended when Fai came back into the room, smiling and with a bowl full of liquid. Suddenly, Wolf realized how hungry he was and his stomach growled as if in complaint. The smell hit the teenager full on, and Wolf inhaled the blend of spices, vegetables and broth. He curiously looked at the bowl of liquid, and then back at Fai. The golden-eyed man seemed to understand what he was silently asking.

"Never had it before? It's called soup. Easy to get down, and very nutritious." Fai said. Wolf looked at the bowl that was in reaching distance and shakily held out his hands. Fai put the bowl gently into Wolf's hands, and immediately a warmth spread through that flowed all the way to his forearms. The boy shivered slightly, and placed the warm bowl down onto his lap. Then, Fai handed him a spoon. Grasping what he was supposed to do, Wolf dipped the spoon into the 'soup' and lifted the spoon up to his lips.

The first sip was amazing. It was nothing like he had ever tasted growing up with _that _man. That man had given him cold gray mush. Bland, mushy, cold and thick, but healthy. This was completely different. This soup had such an array of tiny flavors blending in to create a completely harmonious yet divergent blend. The little pieces of brown, green, and orange only added a good texture to the otherwise thin, smooth concoction. Quickly Wolf began to take bigger and bigger gulps, still pacing himself slightly but only so much, until the bowl didn't have a single drop left.

"Do you want more?" Fai asked. Wolf shook his head, because as wonderful as soup had been, his eyes wouldn't stay open, and his body began to feel heavy, but in a good way. Slowly, he lay back down under the sheets, and closed his eyes.

"Thank you." Wolf mumbled. The boy could almost see the smile on Fai's face, while one of them murmured,

"No problem." It kind of sounded like Fai, but it could have been Yui for all he knew. Then the twins closed the door with a small click. Just as Wolf was about to slip into sleep, the door opened again, except this time with great caution, as if not awake someone. Wolf turned his head slowly, and opened his eyes. The girl Sakura was standing in the doorway. She ducked her head when she saw that he was awake, and Wolf couldn't help but think that she looked cute when she blushed. Sakura hesitated a little, and then walked over to Wolf's bedside.

"Um… I'm sorry." The girl apologized quietly. Wolf continued to simply look at her, unable to tear himself away from her. Then, he felt sleep begin to tug at his senses once more, and his eyes began to close. He felt her start to move away, when he reached out and caught her skirt weakly.

"Wolf." He whispered, just as darkness started to close in on him yet again and made him lose his grip, his hand falling lightly on to the bed. "My name is Wolf."

* * *

**End of Chapter Two**

**Huh… I'm surprised with myself actually. I don't want to stop writing this. Review please! This is actually kinda short… sorry…**


	3. A Choice Was Given

**Song of a Wolf**

**Chapter Three: A Choice was Given**

**By: Eviltiger**

**Author's Note: I own nothing… Hmmm, I think it's going along well… Reviews?**

**B-A-N-Z-A-IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII !**

* * *

Even after the boy, Wolf, had drifted off into the world of dreams, Sakura continued to study him. He had chocolate-brown hair that was arranged in a messy yet fixed manner. He was definitely taller than her, but then again, most people were. He couldn't have been older than fifteen, but it seemed fate had given him more than his fair share of suffering. When he was awake, his eyes were a deep amber hue, intense and strangely hypnotic.

As Sakura continued to study the boy, she remembered the first time she had seen him awake. He had looked like a starving man, soaking in every detail around him, and watching her with such a burning gaze it had scared her. Then, she had forgotten why he was in the room, and that fear had only heightened. Before that, however, Sakura remembered how his eyes were the eyes of a person who knew suffering. And something else as well. His eyes held a raw determination in them, as if he had a goal he would accomplish at any costs.

As the teenaged girl was about to turn around quietly and leave, Wolf shifted slightly in his sleep. After he had finished tossing, Sakura saw that Wolf's right hand was clenched in a fist. If she remembered correctly, it had always been like that. Curiosity spiked in her, and Sakura couldn't help but notice that the fist wasn't clenched as tightly as it had been before. The girl tried to look into in fist without touching the boy's hand, but after several minutes of failed attempts she decided that would get her nowhere.

Deciding to take the last course of action, the girl gingerly experimented by lightly touching the Wolf's left hand. When he made no movement, she closed and opened the boy's left hand to see if that would give her a reaction. Seeing none spurred the girl's confidence, and with determination, the girl reached out to lightly touch Wolf's right hand.

Nothing happened. Rejoicing at this tiny victory, the girl began to ever so slowly open the boy's right fist, inch by inch. A little here, a little there, almost there… Then, as if triggering a trap Wolf's hand clamped shut into a fist so fast Sakura stumbled back, expecting the boy to wake up at any moment. Surprisingly, he didn't, and continued to sleep peacefully. With a pounding heart, Sakura tried to leave as quietly as she could and closed the door behind her. Once the light green door had been shut, the girl let the glimpse of what she had seen enter her mind. She had been able to learn one thing about the precious item Wolf was guarding even in his sleep: It was a photograph.

* * *

Two days came and went with no unusual happenings, and Wolf began to improve rapidly health wise. Almost to the point were he could walk without dizziness, the group decided it was time to hold a meeting. After the dishes from dinner had been washed, dried, and put away, everybody sat back down once more at the table. Fai stood up, and cheerily addressed the gang.

"As we all know, we've had a guest with us these past few days." Fai began, and nods of agreement went all around the table. "And now that the guest is almost fully recuperated, we need to decide what to do with him. Any suggestions?" There was a small silence as the group thought. For some strange reason, Sakura felt anxious, almost as if she was hoping for something.

"Well," Yui began, "there's always the most obvious option of once he's finished healing, we go our separate-"

"But!" Sakura cried out, interrupting Yui from continuing. Everyone turned to look at her curiously. This was the first time Sakura had ever interrupted anyone. Sakura blushed, but nevertheless, continued on. "Um, maybe, he might prove himself useful! I mean, maybe he could join our act!" Dead silence met this, as everyone silently mulled this over. Finally, Fai said quietly,

"I don't know Sakura. First, we have no idea if he has any talent for such things." Sakura suddenly found her shoe very interesting as she sat in her seat, embarrassment showing slightly.

"We could find out." Kurogane rumbled, startling everyone. It was rare for the tall man to ever provide something decisive in such meetings. "It would be a real asset to us if the boy is good in acrobatics and martial arts. We could test him; see if he has any such ability." Everyone took this in while Fai replied.

"Would he even care to join us? He might want to leave." At this Tomoyo tugged Kurogane's shirt gently. Turning to look at her, Tomoyo made a couple of hand motions before the tan man turned back around to face the inside of the table.

"Tomoyo believes that either way, it's his choice. We can ask him what he wants to do, and he'll choose. If it turns out he isn't good at performing, there are always other jobs he can do. Does anyone have any objections to him staying?" Kurogane said to the rest of the people in front of him. There was a silence, accompanied by shaking of the head and shrugging. Kurogane nodded.

"Then it's decided. If he's awake, we can ask him now."

* * *

Wolf had indeed been awake, listening to every word that went on inside the other room. While he hadn't been allowed to get stronger physically in the last seven years, whenever Wolf had been awake, he had developed his senses until eavesdropping to this extent was easy for him. It wasn't as much eavesdropping as being unable to help but hear their voices, however. Thinking his options over, Wolf weighed each one.

On one hand, if he left here, he wouldn't have to grow close to these people, wouldn't have to tell them anything. On the other hand, if he stayed, the man Fai did say that this was a traveling troupe that went from city to city. If he went along with them, not only would he have guaranteed shelter and food, but also he could go from city to city searching for _him_. There would be a greater chance of finding him! Not to mention if he stayed, there was Sakura. But that didn't matter at all, Wolf told himself quickly, he wasn't going to get close to anyone here, especially her.

Deciding once and for all, Wolf waited as the footsteps toward his room grew louder and louder and the light green door's handle slowly started to turn. Yui stepped into the room, and nodded upon seeing Wolf awake. Not bothering to close the door, the man walked over to Wolf, and took a seat in the chair that had been brought in a few days earlier. It was next to the bed, and when someone sat in the wooden object it blocked Wolf from seeing the window.

Wolf had watched Yui the whole time he had entered the room, and wondered when exactly Yui would speak. At first, it didn't seem like Yui would talk at all, and Wolf began to wonder if the blonde really had come here to ask about his choice. As they sat in silence a wild thought crossed him. Did Yui _know_ Wolf had heard everything? Was this his way of asking the amber-eyed boy? Wolf dismissed the thought. Yes, Yui was sharp, and Wolf couldn't help there was something else along with the man's intelligence, but there was no way Yui could know something like that. Letting his mind wander, Wolf began to think of how different Yui and Fai were.

First off, Fai was more happy go lucky, while Yui seemed to be a little more serious. Fai would have probably rattled on and on if he were sitting here, whereas Yui simply sat. From what he had seen of the two, however, Fai's smiles could sometimes be strained, or a mask. Yui smiles were a little calmer, and genuine. This led Wolf to the question of how that came to be. The boy had been so caught up thinking he had nearly failed to notice that Yui was now studying Wolf intently.

Snapping out of his thoughts, Wolf turned his head slightly to look Yui in the eye. Yui simply studied him, and then opened his mouth as if to speak.

"If it's alright, would you allow me to stay here?" Wolf said quickly, cutting off Yui before the man had even said the first word. The blue-eyed man raised an eyebrow, but before he could say anything Wolf spoke again.

"I overheard." The teenager admitted, looking Yui straight in the eye. A look of shock from Yui made Wolf do a double take. Was eavesdropping really that bad? Yui didn't say anything for a little bit, and then he spoke.

"The door was closed." It wasn't a question, but Wolf nodded in confirmation anyway.

"I can hear pretty well." Wolf watched as Yui frowned slightly, and cocked his head slightly.

"These walls are very thick." This took the boy by surprise.

"Really?" Wolf asked curiously. "I could still hear quite well though." The boy remarked. Yui studied Wolf some more, before saying,

"You were in the bed?" Yui asked. Wolf nodded, even though he knew the man might not believe him. Strangely enough, though, he found Yui nodding, as if that was the reply he had expected. Then, he asked Wolf a strange question.

"What can you smell?" The man asked, as if it were a perfectly normal question. Startled Wolf looked at Yui curiously.

"You mean right now?" He asked. Yui nodded.

"Yes. Right now." Wolf closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Different scents and aromas swirled in the air, and one by one Wolf began to pick them out.

"Well, the strongest smell is soap, which is coming from me. These bed sheets were probably washed recently, because they smell strongly of a good clean wash. Then there's something that has a spearmint smell to it, which I'm assuming is coming from you since it wasn't here before. The sweetness over near the window is definitely from the flowers, and there's a small scent of dust, probably because this room hasn't been used. Then if I concentrate hard enough there's the faint smell of baked bread." Upon finishing naming the scents Wolf opened his eyes and watched Yui's reaction. The man had a look of surprise on his face, yet when he spoke none of the surprise could be heard in his voice.

"It's been nearly two hours since the bread has finished baking, and Sakura opened many windows." Yui remarked, looking at Wolf. At this Wolf simply shrugged.

"It's faint, but still lingers a little." Wolf replied, wondering why Yui had asked him such a question. Yui nodded again, and stood up.

"Excuse me. I'm going to go talk to Kurogane." The blonde said, walking towards the door.

"Kurogane?" Wolf echoed, looking at Yui curiously. The slim man nodded.

"I'll leave the door open, since you'll be able to hear us anyway." Yui said, and with that he walked out the door, leaving Wolf to wonder whether he was supposed to listen in or not. Finally, deciding to listen the boy tuned in on the sounds coming from outside the room.

"Kurogane." Yui called to supposedly the person with that name. A grunt came in response, and Wolf tried to imagine what this Kurogane looked like.

"The boy lives up to his name."

"Wolf?" Kurogane's voice was deep.

"Yes. Incredible sense of smell and hearing. Heard the whole dinner conversation. I'm guessing he probably has all senses heightened."

"Heightened senses… probably faster reflexes then as well. I'm assuming the reason we're having this conversation is because he wants to stay?"

"Yes."

"Hn… When you're fully healed, I'm going to see just how much of an asset you could be in acrobatics. You got that kid?" Startled, Wolf suddenly realized that Kurogane was talking to him.

"Hey, you could at least greet him face to face." Yui chuckled a little, and then the sound of footsteps neared the light green door. Yui appeared at the doorway, and walked towards Wolf.

"Wolf, Kurogane. Kurogane, Wolf." Yui said. Wolf watched as a very tall, tan man appeared at the doorway, and slowly walked towards the teenager. The man, Kurogane, had spiky jet-black hair with a few strands that fell over his face, a tall muscular frame, and crimson red eyes.

Kurogane had a very intimidating demeanor, and his clothes certainly did nothing but help that look. The man had on a black shirt with no sleeves, ripped up faded blue jeans, and a red sash tied around his forehead. There was a wide scar on one hand, both on the palm and back, while he had a tiny golden hoop earring at the top of his right ear. Kurogane simply studied the boy, something Wolf had gotten used to, while Wolf simply stared at the tan man, which was probably something Kurogane had gotten used to as well.

Kurogane nodded, then turned around and left. Yui followed in suit, but not before smiling at Wolf before leaving. Then, Wolf lay back on his bed, thoughts bouncing around in his head. Had he made the right decision to stay here? Wolf lay on the bed for a few minutes in silence, pressing his head against the material. A knock on the door, however, made him sit up and turn to face the visitor.

It was Sakura. The girl walked over to where the chair was next to his bed and sat there quietly. For a few moments there was silence as Wolf tried to think of something to say. It turned out to be Sakura, though, who broke the quiet.

"So, I heard you're staying?" The girl questioned, looking curiously at Wolf. The teenaged boy nodded, looking at Sakura.

"I'm afraid you'll have to put up with me for a little while longer." Wolf said. Sakura raised her head quickly and shook her head vigorously.

"No! No! I mean, of course I'll put up with you, because I don't mind at all that you're staying, and in fact I'm glad you are!" After babbling rapidly, the girl ducked her head, embarrassed. Wolf couldn't think of anything to say, and so the two sat there for a while in an awkward silence. Finally Wolf spoke.

"You're… glad that I'm staying?" He said, looking at Sakura. The girl blushed slightly, and nodded.

"Y-yes, I mean, well, it would be nice to get to know you… I do have a question though." Sakura said slowly, the blush fading away being replaced by a look of seriousness, which Wolf couldn't help but think did not suit her at all. Cocking his head slightly, Wolf nodded for Sakura to continue. The green-eyed girl took a breath, and then looked the boy straight in the eyes.

"Why do you want to stay with us?" The question hit Wolf directly, and the boy tried hard to think of some way that he could tell the girl in front of him the truth, but without giving too much away. After hesitating for a few moments, Wolf held Sakura's gaze steadily, and replied,

"There is someone I am looking for. You travel around, going from city to city." The answer was frank, yet Sakura simply nodded, and smiled, surprising Wolf.

"I hope you find the person you're looking for." The girl said softly, looking at him with warm eyes. Then, Sakura got up slowly, heading towards the light green door. Before she walked out of the room, however, she turned back to face Wolf once more.

"The person you're looking for, is he in that photo?" Sakura asked, looking at Wolf with questioning eyes. Immediately Wolf tensed, looking from his right hand quickly back to Sakura.

"How?! What!" Wolf choked out looking around the room rapidly, as if searching for another exit. Startled Sakura quickly replied.

"O-oh, I'm sorry if that was personal! You see, when you were sleeping, you shifted in your sleep and I happened to see that you were holding on tight to a photograph, I didn't see the actual picture though! I-I'm very sorry, forgive me!" Sakura said rapidly. Wolf relaxed a little, although he clenched his right fist even tighter than ever. He sighed, but didn't meet Sakura's eyes.

"Oh. It's fine. You don't have to apologize. I'm sorry for reacting that way. Just, please- please don't." Wolf said in a steady voice, focusing intently on the blanket covering him as Sakura uttered a few more apologies before leaving. Once she was gone, Wolf sighed and opened his right hand. So far he had been keeping it there, but was it really safe that way? Wolf studied the photograph intently, before looking over to where the nightstand was. Opening the small drawer it had, Wolf found the compartment completely empty. Taking one last look at it, the boy placed the photo face down in the very back of the drawer, away from prying eyes. Then, closing the drawer, Wolf let himself fall back onto the bed. The boy sighed, and closed his eyes. He had made his choice, but was it the right one?

* * *

**End of Chapter 3**

**Hmmmm… Reviews? Please?**


	4. Drawing Boundraries, Keeping Secrets

**Song of a Wolf**

**Chapter Four: Drawing Boundaries, Keeping Secrets **

**By: Eviltiger**

**Author's Note: I had trouble figuring out how this one should progress… But here I am! Reviews?**

**HEY, LET'S GET STARTEEEEEEEEEEEED!**

* * *

The sun shone in the sky, giving Wolf a rough idea of what time it was. If he wasn't mistaken, it was getting closer to mid-day. So that means he had been out here for at least six hours. The thought barely registered in his brain as sweat rolled down his back and face, making his clothes stick to him. His muscles screamed with exhaustion, while his breaths came in steady gasps. After a few more seconds in a crouched position, Wolf stood up, and closed his eyes yet again. Sounds surrounded the boy, the smell of earth and sweat overpowering. Sensing an approaching missile, Wolf dodged just before the rock would have hit his head, and re-focused onto the steadily increasing onslaught of projectiles.

Jumping, crouching, and weaving the boy created an odd dance of fluid motions, rarely letting a rock get close enough to touch him. As time progressed, however, more and more pebbles began to hit his body until Wolf was dodging three out of every ten, and the boy could feel the beginnings of many bruises all over his body. Finally, Wolf sunk to the ground, exhausted and unable to move. The rocks stopped then, and a deep voice was heard.

"You done, or need a break?" Kurogane emerged from a pair of bushes silently, observing Wolf. The teenager's body screamed in protest, but Wolf stood up anyways, and shook his head towards both.

"Fine! Keep, going!" Wolf panted, swaying slightly. Kurogane narrowed his eyes, and raised his arm. Wolf flinched away a little, and was thoroughly surprised when the tan man simply ruffled the teen's hair and said,

"You're done. If you die on the first day of training this will be a waste of time, and we'll still be short of acrobats." Kurogane then began to walk back towards the trailer, sticks, maracas, numerous weapons, ropes, and everything else that the man had used to test the boy with in tow. Wolf was amazed that one man could carry such a load. As the boy sat back down again as to give his aching muscles relief, Kurogane gave his assessment.

"You have excellent senses, and your reflexes are far more superior to an average human. Your flexibility is good as well." Wolf nodded, and braced himself for the inevitable. "However, you have nearly no experience with a weapon, your stamina is very short, and I wouldn't be surprised if Tomoyo had more strength than you do." Kurogane turned around to face Wolf. The man's eyes bore into the teenager, while the boy tried his hardest not to look away. "If you want to be useful in stunts, you're going to have to work hard, and long." Kurogane watched as Wolf nodded, eyes determined, before the tall tan man turned back around. "Every day in the morning I expect you out here after the training warm ups I taught you." He called back with finality.

Kurogane walked into the trailer, while Fai held the door to the white building open with one foot. After Kurogane left, the blonde walked over to Wolf and offered his hand to the boy. For a moment Wolf thought about declining, but he was in no position to refuse help. Taking it, Wolf got up onto his feet, and started to walk, albeit very slowly, back towards the trailer. Fai for once didn't say anything except for a small light-hearted remark about Kurogane being a slave driver, and it was quiet. The quiet let Wolf's mind wander, and suddenly a thought struck the boy. Stopping, Wolf turned to face the blonde next to him.

"Um, excuse me for asking, but how is it that the outside of the place you live in looks smaller than the inside? There's so much space, yet it doesn't look like that at all." Wolf questioned, looking at Fai. After looking at the boy, surprised, Fai laughed in realization.

"Oh! That's just magic." The man said as if they were simply talking about the weather. Wolf stared at Fai, until the blonde realized where Wolf was coming from. "I see you aren't that acquainted with magic?" The man said, smiling. Wolf shook his head, and Fai began to explain. "As you know, magic can come in many forms in this world. Some people may not have any ability with magic, as hard as they may try or wish. Some have too much, some have just a little; it all varies from person to person. Even the way magic is released is different with every person. Here, Sakura has a little ability, but it's not something she can control. Tomoyo has a good amount and she can use it too, but most of it is wards, charms, and the occasional curse." Fai paused to shudder slightly, and Wolf wondered just what this Tomoyo was like. Having yet to meet her even after so many days, it was impossible to guess.

"Kurogane is so inept and lacking in magic it's almost comical! Yui and I are usually the ones who perform the major stuff, like making it so this trailer has a lot more space than scientifically possible, designing the rooms, and having whatever interior items wanted. Best of all, we can turn this big girl into a car, or a book." Wolf looked curiously at Fai, while the man waved his hand. "Traveling purposes, you'll understand if you stick around long enough." Nodding, Wolf took this all in. While Fai had been explaining it all Yui had appeared at the door of the trailer. Noticing the two, the man smiled, and walked over to them.

"Explaining about magic, Fai?" The blonde commented. Fai cheerfully grinned and nodded. Yui looked at Wolf for a moment, before commenting,

"You know, it's possible for someone to have magic ability, but not be aware of it. Has anything strange, unexplainable of the like or whatnot ever happened to you?" The thin man studied the boy carefully as Wolf mulled it over. Just as he was about to shake his head, Wolf remembered something. He remembered that night, when he escaped. There had been sudden warmth in his hands, but the burning sensation hadn't hurt him. Then the wall had exploded with a roar, while Wolf had seen nothing but red. Could that have been magic? After a moment's hesitation, Wolf replied.

"No, not really." The boy said shaking his head. Yui studied Wolf carefully, before shrugging and saying,

"Well, it doesn't really matter. I actually came out here to say that Sakura has almost finished preparing lunch." Fai nodded, while Wolf looked anywhere but at Yui. "Oh, by the way, Wolf?" At the mention of his name, the boy turned, being forced to face the man. "Sakura invites you to eat with us." Wolf looked down at the ground before mumbling,

"Um, I'm actually not that hungry right now…" The boy shifted uncomfortably while Yui nodded.

"Then your portion will be in the fridge when you want it." Neither of the twins pointed out that after hours of rigorous training, not being hungry was just as likely as pigs flying. Wolf was grateful for that. Excusing himself with a mumbled excuse of showering or such, the boy opened the trailer door and went to his room, trying with all his might to go unnoticed.

Apparently luck wasn't on his side, as just as the moment Wolf chose to walk past the dining room, Sakura was setting the table. Wolf couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt when he saw that the table was set for six. Hoping he could hurry past without her noticing, the boy in his hurry forgot that the floor underneath him was sadly wooden. The floorboard that Wolf happened to tread on gave a load squeal, and Sakura looked up to at the noise. Jade green met amber, and for a few moments, Wolf could only helplessly look at Sakura, feeling stupider by the moment.

The girl watched as the other teenager ducked his head, mumbled a few incoherent sentences, which sounded suspiciously like excuses, and walked away from the room as fast as he could. Sakura watched him leave, a small frown on her face. Sighing slightly, the girl slowly collected one plate and fork and gently returned the items from where she had removed them.

Wolf sighed once he was a good distance away from the dining room. The muscles in his legs screamed with exhaustion from the extra work, while his stomach rumbled and growled, as if reprimanding him. The boy _was _hungry, while the delicious smells emanating from the kitchen weren't helping either. The teenager could only fervently hope that the rest of the group would quickly finish their meal so Wolf could raid the refrigerator unseen.

Opening the door to his room, Wolf took a few steps in, and then collapsed on the floor. The bed seemed miles away and too clean looking for Wolf to touch. It was bad enough he was letting them take him in, but making a clean bed unnecessarily dirty, forcing them to clean it prematurely; well that was taking it too far. So, Wolf simply lay on the floor like a shot pig, and closed his eyes, hoping to focus on the aching of his muscles, and not the hunger pangs in his stomach.

A soft knock at the door made the teenager open his eyes slowly. The door opened swiftly, but silently. Wolf stared at the figure in the doorway from his position on the floor. It was a girl, probably a teenager, with long flowing ebony hair. Even though she looked like a teenager, she was pretty short, but what she lacked in size she made up for with beauty. Her violet eyes sparkled with wisdom, and her alabaster skin shone. Every move she made showed grace and precision.

The girl wore a light green dress that flowed around her and ended at her mid-calf with sleeves that went to her elbows. While it certainly wasn't a dress that one would wear to a fancy place, it was elegant in its own way. A lavender sash working as a head band had long strands of small white beads that twisted and danced in her hair. Wolf deemed that it was safe to call the girl "beautiful". It was a completely different beautiful from Sakura's, however, and Wolf couldn't help but think that Sakura was prettier.

The girl let out a small giggle, akin to tinkling bells, and then Wolf realized how idiotic he must look, a blush creeping onto his cheeks. The girl didn't say anything, but set down a plate and a glass next to him. Wolf then noticed for the first time that she had been carrying a plate with a sandwich along with a full glass of cold water. Wolf stared at the plate in front of him in surprise before looking back up at the girl, who was already turning to leave.

"Thank…you." Wolf managed to utter out as he sat up slowly. The girl turned back around to look at him, and smiled.

"Are you… Tomoyo?" Wolf made himself speak again, his mouth feeling drier by the second. Tomoyo nodded and smiled once more, before she left, closing the door behind her.

After Tomoyo left, Wolf grabbed the glass of water and drank deeply, being careful to save some for after the sandwich. Then, after his thirst had been somewhat parched, the boy picked up the mouthwatering meal and savored each bite. Thanking the gods for Tomoyo, the boy finished the lunch quickly, before slowly standing up. As much as his body wanted to just lie there for the rest of the day, he was dirty, and the shower was calling his name.

* * *

Once the boy had gotten out clean and refreshed, he carefully put his used clothes in the hamper, and picked up the fresh clothes he had set near the bathroom sink. Wolf had found that even though there was no one his size, the clothes fit him perfectly. The teenager had been wondering about that, but after his conversation with Fai and Yui, the boy assumed that was also within the ability of the two magicians.

As Wolf walked out of the bathroom, his thoughts went to wonder exactly how much could the two twins do? They were strong enough to mold a small trailer into whatever they pleased; finding one person wouldn't be that hard would it? For a moment, Wolf entertained the idea.

He could tell the two who he was searching for, and it would be so much easier… Then, the boy dismissed the thought with a shake of his head, as if to clear his mind of such thoughts. There was no way he would tell them everything. He could not get them involved; much less grow close to them. If he explained one thing, one thing would lead to another, and before long everything would be on the table. He was pretty sure Kurogane and the twins already knew he was keeping secrets, but it didn't bother him too much.

As he walked past a window on the way to his room, Wolf saw Sakura hanging laundry on the clotheslines built into the trailer. He stopped for a minute and watched as she limped between the basket of laundry and clotheslines, pausing every now and then to rub her bad leg. Then, Wolf continued on to his room. Yes, if there was anything this group respected, it was privacy- a right to keeping secrets.

When Wolf opened the door to his room, he was surprised to find Kurogane inside, sitting in the chair next to his bed. The tan man acknowledged the boy's presence, but made no motion to talk to him. Slightly unnerved, Wolf busied himself by checking the neatness of his closet, re-folding items that he deemed untidy. After a few minutes of this, Kurogane spoke.

"Your closet is already neat enough as it is." The man rumbled. Wolf carefully folded another shirt, focusing his energy into the task.

"It gives me something to do."

"Besides make eye contact with me?" The boy froze for a moment, and then resumed the task at hand. After a few moments, he replied.

"…Yes."

"You didn't come to lunch." Wolf fumbled for excuses at this, but nothing came to mind except the truth, which he wasn't going to say. In the end, the boy could only nod.

"You're hiding things from us." The man said bluntly.

"You have secrets as well, why should-"

"Relax." The man said, startling Wolf enough to look back at Kurogane. A slightly annoyed look was etched on his face. "I'm not saying you should tell us anything. I'm not even saying you need to trust us. I don't care about your past, or what you're hiding. You've drawn your lines, and the only one who can cross them is you." Then Kurogane stood up, and slowly made his way to the door.

"You came here to tell me what I knew?" Wolf said shakily, staring at Kurogane's back. The man said nothing until he reached the door. Then, he turned back to stare at Wolf with sharp red eyes.

"I came here to tell you I don't care what you do, as long as you earn your keep. But if you hurt anyone here," The man's words turned into ice. "I won't hesitate to kill you." The door closed with a click as Kurogane turned and walked away from Wolf's room.

Wolf listened to the retreating footsteps, and stopped folding his clothes. Moving to sit on the bed, the boy was still for a moment, before he turned to the drawer of his nightstand. Opening it, Wolf took out the picture gently, as if it might break. Staring at it the boy murmured,

"I'll find you. I'll find you before time's up. I promise." Soon feeling the weight of sleep beginning to smother him, the boy put the photograph back in the drawer and closed it with what little strength he had. That was all he could do before the exhaustion consumed him, and the boy fell into a deep sleep.

* * *

**End of chapter 4**

**Darn! This one's extremely short, so I apologize.**


	5. A Family and One Stranger

**Song of a Wolf**

**Chapter Five: A Family and One Stranger**

**By: Eviltiger**

**Author's Note: Own nothing yeah… Let's enjoy and review shall we? Please? Thank you so much StarPurpleandBlue! You AMAZING! And Justice333, I will never be able to thank you enough! Sorry for not updating in a while! This one while be a looong chappie! Hurray! I LOVE YOU ALL!**

**DANKEEEEEEEEEEEEE!**

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Darkness consumed Wolf in sleep. He never dreamed, and that night had been no exception. Slowly feeling the conscious world around him, the weight of the blanket, the occasional creak of the room, Wolf opened his eyes. At first, there was no difference between the pitch black of sleep, and the lighting of the room, but after a few seconds his eyes adjusted to the dark, and the teenager was able to make out shadowy outlines and objects.

Realization came that it was still very early in the morning, so early the sun hadn't even begun to make its arrival. This made sense, as Wolf had passed out early the day before due to the slightly harder training he had received. Kurogane had pushed him a little more that day than he had before. The boy's muscles ached at the thought of getting out of the bed, and the warmth the blanket gave was very comforting. Deciding to simply lay still and let his mind wander, Wolf relaxed.

The teenager's thoughts flickering to the red-eyed man, the boy thought about how even though the tall person had basically sent him a death threat, the next day they were acting as if nothing had happened. At least, Wolf had been acting. The amber-eyed boy didn't know if Kurogane was faking nonchalance, or if it all really just didn't faze him. The teen would have bet money on the latter.

Only Kurogane could coldly threaten someone's life and then go about normally without even keeping his distance. Then again, maybe it was because Wolf was an outsider that the man acted this way. The teenager didn't belong with the group. He wasn't one of them. There was a barrier between him and the troupe; Wolf could practically feel it keeping him out. And it suited the boy just fine. He himself had put the wall up to prevent from getting close to anyone. For a moment a wave of sadness washed over the boy. It was quickly vanquished however, and Wolf dismissed it, not bothering to search for the cause of it.

Shaking his head, the boy decided it had been enough idle thinking, and even though it still didn't look like anyone would be up soon, Wolf sat up. His body groaned in protest, and pain shot through his arms and legs. Ignoring it, the boy stretched slowly and experimentally. An idea then dawned to him, and he was suddenly very glad that no one else was probably up.

If he did his daily exercises and changed fast enough Wolf would be able to rummage something from the refrigerator as breakfast, and not have to face anyone on the way. A pang of guilt shot through him as he reminded himself that it was not his food that he would be eating, he hadn't helped earn it at all, but determination to help with the next performance to help gain money for them helped ease the nagging. It would be rude to just freeload after all.

Moving slowly, Wolf stood up, and then started stretching to warm up. After he was loose and flexible the boy began to do his daily morning exercises. While on the first day he could barely manage two push-ups and three curl-ups, the boy was now doing five and ten with aching muscles. Kurogane's training really had helped him, but that really only made him even more indebted to the group. Finishing his morning ritual, the boy opened the closet where his clothes were, and proceeded to dress.

His wardrobe currently existed of make-shift clothes, some borrowed by Fai and Yui, others random sashes and fabrics had been sewn together to resemble some part of an attire. The group had offered to buy new clothes for him, but Wolf had refused. While food was necessary, the boy could buy clothes for himself _after _he had earned his keep. Thus, his clothes usually were slightly baggy, loose, and for the most part very colorful.

The boy didn't mind this at all. Even after a few days had passed, colors were still so new to him. Back in that room, everything had been various shades of grey and black, from the food to the clothes. Not that he could see any of the colors right now though. The sun was only just beginning to peek out from the horizon, and due to that it was still quite dark. The boy only knew that he had put on a slightly long, soft material for a shirt, and scratchy shorts that went to his knees.

Walking towards the door quietly, Wolf took hold of the handle and opened the door gently, as to not creak or squeal. Once the door was open, the boy walked silently across the floorboards towards the kitchen, careful to avoid the squeaky floorboard that had brought his misfortune a couple days back. In the kitchen, Wolf moved silently towards the counter and tried to remember where food was.

Remembering the basket of fruit on the counter, Wolf headed towards the place he remembered where it was last. The teen then felt the contents with one careful hand, trying to discern what was what. Once sure that the fruit he was touching was an orange, the boy lifted it out of the basket. He had forgotten, however, that the orange he had picked was near the bottom of the assortment. The fruit in the basket had formed a small hill, and one by one began to rain down. Wolf froze for a moment in horror, before springing into action.

Crouching down and setting his orange on the floor lightly, the boy listened and felt for the tell-tale movement in the air, and used all his senses and speed to begin catching the fruit and placing them gently in his baggy shirt, as to not dirty them. Bananas, apples, peaches, strawberries, pears, oranges, and lemons rained down, Wolf catching each and every one. Later, the boy would wonder how in the world the group had fresh fruit that weren't even in season, but assuming it could have been magic, decided not to think too hard about it.

When the downpour of fruit slowly began to slow before it stopped altogether, Wolf was exhausted from trying to move silently yet quickly, and had a shirt full of food. Standing up gently, balancing all the fruit, Wolf began to place them in the basket slowly. Being very careful so the fruit wouldn't fall, Wolf concentrated hard. Finally, he was done, and only his orange remained on the floor. Picking it up, Wolf sighed with relief. It had all went well. The orange wouldn't provide much food by itself, but Wolf didn't dare to explore any further when it was still hard to see, best wait until the sun was half-way through sunrise. Walking slowly the boy started peeling the orange. The adrenaline rushing through his blood was slowly beginning to fade away.

"Impressive." Wolf nearly dropped his fruit and looked around quickly, trying to discern the location from where Kurogane's voice had come from. The adrenaline returned in full tide, making him faster.

"And after I just complimented you." Kurogane stated, somewhere in the shadows. He wasn't whispering, but the voice wasn't so loud that it would wake anyone up. "You're never going to find me if you search like _that._" The teenager stopped whirling around, and closed his eyes. Then, inhaling deeply, the boy tried to detect any traces of the tall man's scent, straining to hear a movement as well. Kurogane's scent was definitely there, but he couldn't tell where it was coming from. Sounds seemed to come from all around him, confusing him. Catching a slight movement to his right the boy quickly turned to face in that direction. Opening his eyes, he met only disappointment. The rest of his senses only affirmed what Wolf knew; no one was there, and he had guessed wrong. Kurogane's voice made the boy instantly alert once more.

"You're good. I'll give you that." Wolf could almost see the tan man's nod of approval. Feeling a sudden movement and a presence directly behind him, Wolf whirled around.

"But you're a far cry from the best." The voice finished. Wolf's eyes widened. Kurogane was standing in front of him, less than a foot away. The man's red eyes seemed to glow in the more or less dark. Those red eyes studied him for a minute, before the tan man began walking calmly towards the door.

"If I had been an enemy, your blood would be staining the floor. We'll need to train you how to perceive through illusions and tricks." The man remarked. As the tan male was walking through the doorway Wolf gathered his wits and spoke before Kurogane could leave.

"Why are you training me if you don't trust me?" The man stopped, not turning around to face Wolf. The boy tensely watched the warriors every move, waiting for a reply. There was a small silence, and with every passing second the teenager's tension increased. Then, the warrior spoke.

"If you want to work here, you'll need training." Then he left the dark kitchen, disappearing from view. Wolf stared at the empty doorway, adrenaline slowly starting to fade away. A shiver ran through the boy, and on the way to his own room, Wolf glanced back behind him. The hallway was seemingly dark and empty. It wasn't until he had entered his room did he realize that his question really hadn't been answered.

* * *

Out of all the fruit the troupe had and Wolf had experienced, the boy liked oranges the best. Even if one fell, it would still be fine, since it was protected by that bumpy hard layer on the outside. Once peeled, the fruit when ripe was juicy and sweet, but still slightly citrusy. In short, it was delicious. Once the fruit had been eaten and the peel discarded, the boy looked outside. He could see a lot more than he could have before, which meant the sun had risen about already half-way.

The boy returned once more to the kitchen for food, still being quiet, but this time not having a handicap of barely seeing anything. It went smoothly, and there was no sign of Kurogane anywhere. After washing the glass he had used for water and finishing the last bit of the sandwich he had made, Wolf looked out of the window near the table where the group ate their meals.

While one side of the trailer faced the forest, this side faced the city of Mokona. It was more like a town than a city, as Mokona wasn't very big at all. The trailer was on the outskirts of the town, but to get to the square would have only been a ten minute walk. Wolf had been there several times already, once with the group, and twice alone. All three times Wolf had asked around and kept watch for the other person in his photo, constantly describing the person. He had asked almost the whole town by the time he had to return on the third visit. While the people in the town were kind, none of them had given him any useful information. The teenager was now getting a little anxious to move to the next city. He hadn't found the one he was looking for here, which meant he had to keep searching.

Mind far away, Wolf started to head back towards his room. Not paying attention to his surroundings, the boy froze when he heard the tell-tale _click_ of a door opening. The door from where the offending sound had come from was blue with a white moon on it, which he was a mere few feet away from. It was too late to look for a place to hide, and his mind raced, straining to think of an excuse to why he was up so early.

Panic started to shoot through his veins, along with the desire to run. Then, remembering that it wasn't a crime to be out of his room as it once had been, the boy slowly tried to relax. From a door in front of him, two bodies walked out. It took Wolf a moment to recognize the faces of Fai and Yui. Walking steadily by, the amber-eyed teen nodded a good morning to the two. Yui returned the nod, while Fai smiled and waved. The sleepy looks on their faces showed that they still weren't clearly processing things though, and no questions were asked, much to Wolf's relief.

* * *

A few hours later everyone was up, and breakfast for the troupe had been made and eaten. Wolf had not come out once since greeting Fai and Yui, trying to avoid any more run-ins until it was time to head out with Kurogane for practice. Once the time had come to go outside, Wolf listened for any signs of movement in the hallway. Hearing none, the boy opened the door of his room, and walked towards the door leading to outside. Opening it, the sun met his eyes, and the boy squinted, trying to adjust to the warm and bright shine.

Once he could see again, the boy noticed not only Kurogane, but Fai and Yui outside as well. They appeared to be discussing something, and Wolf not wanting to be rude, stood away and waited politely. Not that standing away from them would really prevent him from listening in.

"... next performance?"

"Shara."

"We could travel by foot then, unless…"

"He'll be fine."

"No worries then! Speaking of Wolf, do you think he'll be ready in time?" Wolf started upon hearing his name, and saw Kurogane shake his head.

"Not yet. Soon though."

"Then maybe he should watch the next one, to see what it's like."

"Good idea! I wonder if he's ever seen a performing troupe before…."

"Have you?" Kurogane asked. There was confusion among the other two, before they realized who he was talking to. Wolf looked at Kurogane, who hadn't even raised his voice or turned to look at him, startled. The man then turned to face the boy, question still unanswered. Turning slightly pink, Wolf shook his head quickly; embarrassed he had been caught listening again. Fai laughed and poked Kurogane's shoulder.

"Kuro-puu! You could at least face Wolf when you're talking to him! So lazy!" Kurogane glared at the man, while Yui nodded in fake solemnity.

"I'm afraid for once this idiot of a brother is right." Kurogane then turned to glare at Yui, who looked at him innocently.

"Both of you are such a pain in the ass." Kurogane muttered under his breath, before looking back at Wolf again. Motioning for the boy to come to the group, Wolf obeyed and walked towards the men quickly.

"No training today since we're going to be on the move." Wolf nodded, and then hesitated, looking at Kurogane. The man cocked his head slightly, waiting for Wolf to ask what was on his mind. For some reason, this gave the boy a little happiness, knowing that Kurogane wasn't completely shunning him. Scolding himself for feeling such, Wolf quickly asked his question.

"So… we are going to a new city?" Kurogane nodded in confirmation, while Fai grinned and turned to face Wolf.

"We're headed to the city of Shara, which is close by, so we'll be walking. In fact, we're going to be off just as soon as our two lovely ladies finish up whatever they're doing and come outside." Wolf nodded in understanding, and as if on cue the door to the seemingly small looking trailer burst open, Tomoyo walking calmly down the steps, followed by a hurried Sakura who was holding a big picnic bag. Wolf couldn't help but stare in awe at the jade-eyed girl. Even rushing she looked pretty. Stepping out into the sunlight, her hair shined and gleamed, showing coppery and auburn tones. Suddenly realizing he was staring, Wolf flushed and looked anywhere except at her.

The teenager hadn't caught himself in time however, if the knowing look on Yui's face was anything to count for. Thankfully, no one else had seen his momentary lapse of intelligence. Sakura rushed towards the group with the big basket, and bowed quickly.

"I'm sorry for the wait! I was just fixing up lunch since the walk will be a little long and through the woods and the house won't be accessible and-" A hand on the girl's shoulder made the teen turn around quickly, nearly hitting heads with Tomoyo. The ebony-haired girl looked slightly amused, and squeezed Sakura's shoulder lightly. Sakura nodded, taking a deep breath and exhaling slowly, before smiling at Tomoyo.

"Thank you Tomoyo!" Turning to the rest of the group, she bowed once more and said a little slower and calmer,

"Sorry!" Yui chuckled while Fai ruffled Sakura's hair.

"It's fine! Just remember to breathe!" Fai laughed.

"We were explaining to Wolf what was going on anyway." Yui added. Suddenly realizing Wolf was there as well, Sakura turned at smiled while blushing, slightly embarrassed.

"Ah! Good morning Wolf!" She exclaimed. "Did you have a good sleep?" A blush creeping on to his face, Wolf nodded quickly.

"Good morning." A small silence fell between the two, while Sakura tried to think of something to say, and Wolf remained embarrassed, the blush turning a dark shade. Thankfully, Fai interrupted the rapidly turning awkward moment.

"Well, shall we get going?" The man announced. Sakura and Wolf gladly nodded their heads, thankful that Fai had cut in. Tomoyo smiled, while Kurogane muttered, "About time." Yui voiced agreement as well, and turned to look at Fai. Nodding, the two men walked towards the trailer.

"What are they doing?" The question slipped out before Wolf could stop himself. Kurogane glanced at the boy, before replying.

"That voodoo crap. Magic. We have to move that huge thing somehow." Fai laughed, but didn't look back at the group. Wolf watched in amazement as an intricate circle formed on the ground around the trailer, varying shades of blue and white making up the color scheme. Then, a flash of light shot up from the circle, making the teenager close his eyes. Opening them again quickly, he found the Fai and Yui walking back towards them, with no trailer in sight. The boy looked around, and saw a heavy looking book under Yui's right arm. The conversation from before and what had happened now clicked, and Wolf realized he was staring at the home he was currently staying in.

"See? That's why it's useful for the trailer to become a book!" Fai cheerfully exclaimed, looking at Wolf. The teenager nodded dumbly, still slightly shocked from what he had just seen. Fai then bounced towards Kurogane and frowned, waggling his pointer finger.

"And Kuro-sama! It's no voodoo crap! No need to get so jealous!" The magician cheerfully exclaimed. Kurogane's eye twitched while his hands started to waver dangerously towards Fai's neck. Stepping in between the two, Yui deadpanned.

"Fai, stop pestering Kurogane. As fun as it is to see you run screaming from him, this earned a cry of 'Heartless!' from Fai getting to Shara with everybody in one piece would be lovely. If there's one less performer, there could be less money. On the other hand… since Wolf is joining us…" Fai shivered and looked at Yui with tear filled eyes.

"You're a cold, cold person! Such a meanie! How can you be so mean to your brother! Heartless!" Wolf watched the antics between the three men, and couldn't help but crack a small smile. Sakura and Tomoyo were pleasantly walking together occasionally laughing at the stupidity of the people in front of them. They were a little ways away from the three men in front, while Wolf headed the back. Observing the group, Wolf began to understand them a little more.

Even when Kurogane snapped and started chasing Fai around, his punches never aimed to kill. Even when Yui acted as a heartless overlord, the warmth in his eyes was still there. And even when one person tried to hide something from the others, they would always be found out. This, Wolf realized, was a very close troupe. They were practically a family. Observing them all also made Wolf realize that he was even more of an outsider than he had thought. This, he told himself firmly, was more than fine. It was great.

Snapping out of his thoughts, Wolf saw Kurogane glance back, checking on Sakura and Tomoyo, and then Wolf. When Kurogane's gaze turned on him, however, the teenager turned his head quickly, avoiding meeting the man's gaze. The boy carefully stuffed any emotions for them in a small corner, doing his best to block them from reaching the surface. He didn't need this family. He shouldn't get close to them.

* * *

The sun was now beating directly above Wolf's head, and the boy saw Fai signal to the rest of the group behind him to take a rest under a huge oak tree. Walking to the tree, Wolf sat under the shade, trying to maintain a little space from the rest of the group, but not to the point where it would be noticeable. The rest of the group sat down under the shade of the tree, forming a sloppy and spread out circle. Yui announced to everyone that they were half-way there, while Sakura set down the basket she had been carrying.

"Since we're all sitting down and it's almost mid-day, should we have lunch now?" Sakura asked, holding up said woven basket. Voices of agreement went all around, except for Wolf. The boy suddenly had realized that if they had lunch, he would have to eat with the group. Trying to think of some excuse, the boy came up with blanks. Saying he wasn't hungry would only hurt him; it was a long walk through a forest after all. Straining to think of anything, Wolf finally gave up. Stiffly, he waited while Sakura began to distribute croissant sandwiches and bottles of water all around.

Walking towards Wolf, Sakura extended to the boy a bottle of water and sandwich. Hesitating, the teenager took it slowly and rigidly, mumbling a quiet 'thank you'. Sakura looked at Wolf for a moment, before nodding and smiling. Walking to Tomoyo, she handed the ebony-haired teen her food, and then the jade-eyed girl sat down herself.

Looking down at the food, Wolf's stomach gave a small growl. It looked and smelled delicious. Sakura was a very good cook, the boy noted before eating his food in record time. He felt a little guilty that he wasn't savoring the food, but the shorter time he'd have to eat, the less time he needed to be with the group.

While the others chatted away pleasantly with each other, Wolf kept his head low, attempting to remain invisible to the group, avoiding any unnecessary movements. Once the boy had finished his sandwich, he stood up abruptly and mumbled an excuse of needing to relieve himself. Before any questions could be asked he walked away. Once he believed he was a good distance away from the group, the boy sat down behind a tree, leaning against its wide trunk. Breathing out a sigh of relief, the boy relaxed. No one had tried to talk to him during the lunch, and he had done his best to get out of there fast.

Sharing meals was something foreign to him. Wolf decided not to do such ever again. When he had first arrived the group had explained to him what the concept was, but the teenager had tried to avoid it altogether. His gut instinct had warned him not to do so and from today's experience, the boy concluded he had been right.

There had been a friendly, close, atmosphere, inviting him in, drawing him closer. It was something families did, something that wasn't for him. They were the family, he was the stranger. Sighing, Wolf looked up, studying the leaves of the tree, and the sky behind it. Standing up slowly, the teenager turned to head back towards the group. They should have finished their lunch by now.

* * *

A couple hours later, the forest began to part, until in front of the group was a large clearing. Behind the clearing, a little ways in the distance, was a city. It was small, but still bigger than Mokona. Wolf breathed a sigh of relief. They had finally arrived. Whoops of joy were heard and Fai announced happily,

"Welcome to the outskirts of Shara!"

* * *

**End of Chapter 5**

**I know, yeah the ending was kinda rushed and it sorta sucked, but I really wanted to publish it quickly! I might revise it later on, I might not. Well, next chapter should be a fun one! Sorry for not writing in a long time! It's the sluggish heat dang it! It follows ya!**


	6. Mishaps and Mayhem Killed the Dog

**Song of the Wolf**

**Chapter Six: Mishaps and Mayhem Killed the Dog**

**By: Eviltiger**

**Author's Note: Thank you Justice333 and StarPurpleandBlue! Now, as for your questions, I can tell you that most of the answers to them are yes, but I'm not revealing which ones because I hate spoiling stories for readers. Heh heh! All you other people out there please be a nice person and review. Even if only to tell me I suck and point out what I need to work on! The summer heat is really killing me! Sluggishness….**

**BEGOOOOOOOOOOONE!**

* * *

Wolf gazed at the city in front of him, seemingly pleasant and beautiful. Tall and short buildings gave the city a nice texture, while the tallest structure was the town clock, so huge Wolf could nearly make out the numerals if he squinted. Excitement began to creep into his veins, the urge to explore this new place growing with every passing minute. It was a new place with new people, new houses, new discoveries, and a new chance to find information on where his person was. The very person he was searching for could be here!

Struggling to calm down and gain the patience to wait until a good chance to search, the teen pulled his amber eyes off the sight in front of him and turned to face the rest of the group. Tomoyo was sitting on a rock, calmly looking at the scenery, Sakura was most likely relating a story to Tomoyo what with her hand gestures and spinning, while Fai and Yui had taken the trailer-book from Kurogane, who had been holding it the whole way to Shara, and now were placing it on the ground.

The twins then appeared to form runes around the book and muttered something, before a magic circle appeared, the same one as before, and began to expand, the book being its center. As Wolf watched closely, it appeared that there was also some kind of barrier along with the magic circle; a nearly invisible shimmering dome now covered the area of a good sized trailer. The amber-eyed boy waited for the flash of cold light that would appear, watching intently.

While Wolf was watching the spell intently, however, it was clear that some were not. Kurogane was looking off into space, bored. Tomoyo was observing Sakura pantomime and retell the story with gusto, when the ebony-haired girl's eyes widened. Reaching out to grasp Sakura's hand, her ivory arm fell short. Sakura, who hadn't noticed the rock directly behind her, had already tripped and started to fall backwards. Jade eyes wide and hands flailing, Sakura's hands reached for anything to hold onto. Tomoyo stood up, and tried to reach out her hand and grab Sakura, but to no avail.

To the misfortune of the auburn-haired girl, what she caught her fall on was the magic barrier. Yui, being closest to Sakura, saw what happened first. Eyes widening, he mouthed a single profane word as from Sakura's hands a bright pink wave shot out and wrapped around the dome, the whole barrier beginning to glow a dangerous purple. '_Shit.'_

Wolf heard the warning shouts and cries, but by then it was too late for him to take cover. The boy could only watch as a bright purple light glowed and expanded so fast the teenager couldn't even blink before it reached him. Thrown backwards by the sudden slam of enormous power, the boy collided with the branches of a tree. Crying out in pain as the branches scratched and thrashed about, Wolf shut his eyes, trying to shield himself from the onslaught of ferocious waves. The smell of something burning filled the air, and the teenager felt as if his body was on fire. Even behind his eyelids he could still see bright purple.

Suddenly, it all stopped. The light faded away, and silence filled the clearing. Following the silence however, was a high pitched whine in Wolf's ears, not ceasing while ringing loud. Chancing to crack one eye open, Wolf's vision slowly came into focus and helped survey the situation. His whole body was covered in scratches and gashes from the tree branches whipping him, and the boy was pretty sure there would be bruises the following day. Opening up the other eye, he saw his clothes were ripped as well, although that didn't matter too much. What definitely bothered him more was the fact that he was hanging by his shirt caught on a branch around five feet up in the air.

Reaching back with some difficulty, he painfully yanked his shirt off the troublesome branch. Falling to the ground, he managed to land on both feet, before unsteadily standing to look for the rest of the group. Fai and Yui were the first ones he saw. The twins had been crouching next to each other, a blue shield covering them both. Standing up slowly, the swirling matter around the two disappeared, and Wolf could see that Sakura was sitting behind them, looking quite shaken. She had been protected by the defense the twins had made as well. Spotting Wolf, Yui walked over to the teenager and rasped,

"You okay?" Managing a nod, Wolf could only stare in disbelief at the perfectly fine and intact trailer. It was clearly unharmed. Turning to look at Yui, who in turn looked at what Wolf had been gaping at, the man shrugged.

"Magic gone wrong is a funny thing." Yui said, his voice starting to function properly. Wolf turned his head again to look at Fai, who was calling for Kurogane and Tomoyo.

"KUROGANE? TOMOYO?" Fai called, looking around. The rustle of bushes made the people in the clearing look in the direction of the noise. Slowly, Kurogane emerged from the undergrowth, a few scratches on his face and behind him came Tomoyo, her face white and the occasional leaf in her hair, but other than that, she was unharmed. Recalling how far Kurogane had been from Tomoyo, Wolf was impressed that the tan man had managed to reach the girl in such short time and notice.

"Shut up, you're too loud." Kurogane growled at Fai, walking towards the group, holding Tomoyo's wrist and pulling her forward. Fai grinned merrily and jumped toward the two, but Wolf had seen the split second sigh of relief that had come from the man.

"Well, it's good that you're okay Tomoyo." The blonde said, addressing the ebony-haired girl and ignoring the tan man on purpose.

"It's a pity _you_ had to survive though, Kurogane." Yui said monotonously, clearly joking. Kurogane's right eye twitched as he replied,

"Funny, I was just thinking the same about you two idiots." Before the three could engage in their everyday spat, however, a small whimper was heard from behind them all. Turning around, Wolf saw Sakura still sitting down, huddled and trying to look as small as she could.

"I-I'm so sorry! It was all my fault!" Upon closer inspection, Wolf could see that the normally energetic girl was shivering, struggling to hold in tears of shock and fear. A gentle hand pressed on Sakura's shoulder, and said teen looked up to see Tomoyo. The violet-eyed girl was smiling warmly at Sakura as she shook her head. Walking over to the shivering girl, Fai sat on Sakura's other side and smiled as well.

"Tomoyo's right, Sa-ku-ra. It's not your fault. It isn't possible for you to control your magic." The man said kindly. Sakura shook her head and stammered.

"But-But-" Anything else she was going to say was interrupted by Kurogane. The man was standing a little ways off, staring straight at Sakura.

"Did you intend to make that happen?" He asked, blood meeting emerald. Sakura shook her head furiously, eyes widening.

"N-No! Why would I-"

"Then it was an accident. Something that can happen to anyone if not careful." Sakura stared at the tan man for a moment before slowly nodding.

"S-sorry everyone." She apologized meekly. Fai smiled warmly along with Tomoyo, while Yui gave a kind half-smile. Kurogane 'tch'ed, while Wolf looked away.

"Well, now that all has been settled, shall we go inside the house?" Fai turned to face the rest of the troupe, while everyone gave some form of consent. Standing slowly, Sakura faced the group and said,

"I'll make tea, for those who want any." And with a slightly lighter mood, the group headed towards the trailer.

Sakura was the first to go up the steps leading to the trailer door. She opened the door their home, and then stopped dead in her tracks. Tomoyo, who had been following Sakura, looked inside as well before her eyes widened and she let out a small giggle. Curious, the rest of the group including Wolf managed to squeeze into the small stairway and peered inside the trailer, trying to see what had stunned the two girls of the troupe. What awaited them was certainly not expected.

Furniture was everywhere. Two chairs belonging to two different rooms were in the hallway, along with several books rimming the floor. The table where the group normally ate at was halfway through the opening to Kurogane's room, while five plates were neatly stacked in the entryway of Fai and Yui's room. At first glance, it was total chaos. After a few moments of inspection however, one could see that everything was untouched and undisturbed, simply in the wrong rooms and places. A dusty pair of socks that had been hiding in Fai's side of the closet was still covered with a fine layer of grey, but perfectly balanced on one of the legs of the eating table.

There was silence all around, the whole group dumbfounded. No one spoke for a little while, and simply taking in the interesting sight before them. After a little while, Yui spoke, incredulous.

"…Magic gone wrong is a funny thing."

Wolf whole-heartedly agreed.

* * *

After the lapse in silence, the group began to come alive again. Fai and Tomoyo started laughing, while Kurogane's 'what the hell?!' was clearly heard. Sakura flushed a bright red and began to apologize once more, and even Wolf grinned, finding the whole situation pretty funny. Slowly, everyone began to pitch in to clean up the trailer. Chairs were moved, tables lifted, books returned to their owner, clothes taken out of the oven, cupboards, and other various places, and soon enough the group was more or less finished, with the exception of small little items here and there.

Exhausted but in a fairly good mood after having fun trying to search for items, the troupe gathered into the dining room to have a small snack and tea. Wolf, however, stayed behind, this time being truthful when he said he wasn't hungry. The teenager had kept a good distance from the troupe, but he had helped out as well. Returning to his room as Sakura began to make tea, the boy walked down the now clean hallway.

Going into his room, he nodded in satisfaction that everything was in its right place. He didn't have much to begin with after all. Checking once more to make sure he didn't have any items in the room that belonged to anybody else, the boy went through his closet, looked under the bed, and confirmed that both drawers on his nightstand were empty. Closing the top drawer, Wolf sat down on the floor and breathed a sigh. Leaning against the bed, the boy closed his eyes, and relaxed. Everything was fine, the chaos was over, and he could go searching in the town later. … … …!

Suddenly, Wolf's blood ran cold. To search in the town, he would need his photo. The photo he had placed in the top drawer of his nightstand. The nightstand had been empty. Shooting up fast like a lightning bolt, Wolf nearly ripped off the top drawer of his nightstand; he had tried to open it so fiercely. Fear shot through him as he checked once, twice, thrice. It wasn't there. Flying around his room Wolf searched high and low, but he knew it was pointless. He had already looked through his room. That could only mean, however, that the photo was outside of his room. _Someone could find it._

Flinging open the door, Wolf searched frantically the hallway, all logic gone. Half stumbling half running, the boy ran towards the bathroom. Not even bothering to knock he flung the door open, searching in the cupboards and under the sink. No one was there thankfully, but even if someone had been Wolf might not have even seen them at all. Searching everywhere, he still found nothing. Panic started to well in the boy as he sprinted down the hallway to look in the kitchen, where everyone else was. He couldn't let them see it, couldn't let them find it!

Bursting through the kitchen doorway, Wolf gasped for air, all the while searching for that small slip of paper. Numbly, almost as if through a filter he saw Sakura turn around and nearly drop the teapot she was holding, letting out a small shriek. Once she had calmed down though, she slowly approached Wolf who was on his knees, sucking in air.

Worry and fear was written on her face, but Wolf didn't notice it. When Sakura was about to open her mouth to speak the boy sprang up again, and went to the kitchen cupboards, looking into every nook and cranny wildly, startling the redhead again. Dimly he heard someone shout, along with the pounding of footsteps, but he couldn't hear who it was, nor did he care. The only thing that mattered was the photo. The photo. The photo. The photo!

Strong arms gripped Wolf and turned the boy around to face whoever it was. Crimson red eyes burned into the teenager as Kurogane shook Wolf slightly, shouting,

"What the hell are you doing!" Wolf didn't answer, struggling to break free. He needed to get to the photo! Kurogane asked once more, this time shaking him harder, the man's grip tightening on Wolf's arms. The teenager gave a small cry of pain.

"Find it!" The words slipped out of his mouth before he knew what he had spoken, and Wolf didn't bother to use any time to register what words had escaped. Twisting and turning as Kurogane had loosened his hold in confusion, Wolf wriggled free from the tan man and ran towards the small bookshelf, searching among the books and knickknacks wildly, desperately. The hands that grasped him this time were smaller, but still firm.

Being turned around, twin cerulean eyes stared down Wolf's amber ones. When Yui spoke it was calming and hypnotic, causing the boy's heartbeat to slow down. The words didn't reach the boy, only the sound. The musical, lyrical, slow voice, twisting and turning with every word calmed Wolf, and his panic began to slowly ebb away like the tide. But then_, because_ his panic began to vanish, the teen started to panic even more. Adrenaline shot through his veins once more as he realized he nearly had forgotten the reason he had been out of control.

Trying to shake away from Yui's grip, Wolf slammed against the bookshelf, the contents shaking and quivering. A few books dropped onto the floor with loud thunks, and a small slip of dirty paper fluttered out from its small hiding place: stuck in the top of one of the shelves. Everyone watched almost as if spellbound as the paper (a blank side facing them) hung in the air for a moment, before beginning a small pirouetting dance down to meet the ground. Twisting and turning and catching the light, it slowly began to land on the floor face up. The troupe began to make out two pairs of bodies in what appeared to be a picture, two arms-

A real arm shot out and snatched the photograph up before anything else could be determined about the paper. Wolf stood, breathing heavily, fist clenched tight around his precious item, and staring wide-eyed and unseeingly at the floor. He had managed to break free from Yui's grasp just moments before the photo had landed completely on the floor. The room was deathly silent for a few moments; no one wanted to snap Wolf out of his trance. Finally, Tomoyo shifted a little, causing Wolf's head to snap up and face the group. The boy opened and closed his mouth, not quite sure what to say, staring at the group with wide amber eyes.

"A-h…. a….. I…. I'm sorry. E-Excuse me." Turning around, he dashed away from the group, ignoring their shouts. Running down the hallway, the boy slammed his door shut and locked it for good measure, even though he doubted anyone would try and come into his room. Panting quickly, Wolf slowly opened his tightly clenched fist, looking at the photograph.

His pants slowing down to deep breaths of air, the boy sighed with relief, falling onto his bed, and continued to gaze at the object in his hand. He was safe. They hadn't seen. Once he had gotten over the relief of the rest of the troupe not seeing, guilt slowly started to seep in as he remembered how scared Sakura had been, and what a ruckus he had caused. Inhaling deeply and letting out a sigh, Wolf turned over on his side to look at the wall with the window.

He'd have to make it up to them tomorrow, since there was no way he was getting out of his room today. Dimly in the back of his mind he remembered he hadn't had dinner, and probably wouldn't have it, but that wasn't so bad. He'd gotten through worse.

What really concerned him was the fact that he had come very close to the group finding out everything, a thought which unnerved him. He had to be more careful, or everything would be blown out of the water. Then, the boy realized something; what had happened today had been merely an accident, something no one could control. If another accident occurred like this, it was very likely that even all his carefulness and wariness would not be enough. And then, they would all know everything.

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**End of Chapter 6  
Yaaaaaaay! This is just something I thought up for fun. Maybe it'll want to make you people in the back review more!**

**Sugar and spice, reviews are nice.**

**It's all I ask, an easy task!**

**So please review, or I'll feel blue. ….. If not….**

**When I turn said hue, I'll come and haunt you!**

**So please?**


	7. Apologies, Flowers, and Eggs

**Song of the Wolf**

**Chapter Seven: Flowers, Apologies, and Eggs**

**By: Eviltiger**

**Author's Note: So about last time's title, there's the saying curiosity killed the cat. I then used it and twisted it around. Since Wolf had a lot of close calls last chapter the saying 'Took years off my life' would probably suffice for him, so mishaps and mayhem gave the wolf a scaring of a lifetime. That's really confusing isn't it? Well, if you still don't understand, I'm really sorry; it's just my weird mind. It **_**sounded**_** okay in my head….. **

**Thank you all lovely souls who reviewed! I'm glad you guys like it! This chapter is actually more with Sakura being the center. YAY! Also, things are maybe starting to shift?!**

**CHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEESE! **

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Hints of sunlight snuck into a bright room painted various shades of pink and golden. In a small bed with a violet pillow, auburn hair danced slightly on the fluffy material, contrasting vividly. Eyes slowly opened to reveal a vivid shade of green, and the girl known as Sakura slowly woke up.

Sitting up and stretching slowly, the teenager looked out the window in her room. Watching the sun begin to peak out in the first rays of dawn, Sakura smiled. The trailer had been placed in a way that she was able to watch the sunrise, and the girl certainly wasn't complaining about it. Gazing at the beautiful sight for a few minutes, Sakura deemed it was time to get up and go about with her morning.

When the girl stood up, however, she promptly sat back down as a flood of memories from what happened yesterday came rushing back to her, overwhelming her. Remembering how she had caused first the huge explosion, then the accident with the furniture, and finally, Wolf.

The tea had just finished boiling, and Sakura had lifted the steaming kettle off the oven to pour the scalding hot water into cups when a loud bang at the door nearly made the girl drop the kettle. Turning around, Sakura had seen Wolf, the boy on his hands and knees, sucking in air. Fear had struck the girl, but when she had went to ask if the boy was alright, amber eyes snapped up immediately to stare unseeingly almost through her, and Wolf had started rummaging through every nook and cranny like his life had depended on it.

His enormous amount of intensity behind that unfocused gaze had scared Sakura. The cherry blossom hadn't failed to notice the panic oozing out of Wolf either. He hadn't responded when Kurogane shook him, and then to even snap out of Yui's magic… And finally, the photo. The moment they were about to see anything, Wolf had snatched it away. After that it was almost as if the boy had woken up from his trance, apologizing and dashing off. What secret was he hiding?

Snapping out of her memories the girl shook her head. If Wolf wanted to tell that to them, the group would be more than happy to listen, Sakura concluded. However, it was rude to pry, and with that the girl pushed all of it into the back of her mind and focused on getting dressed and starting the day. Since Fai wasn't up yet, due to lack of racket in the kitchen, Sakura decided to cook alone today. Even though her fingers tingled in anticipation to make breakfast and she wanted to feel the satisfaction of making something without any help, the teen couldn't help but feel slightly sad. It would be lonely preparing the meal today.

* * *

Once finished with her morning routine, Sakura walked down the long hallway towards the kitchen, trying to be extra careful not to make any sounds. Because of the want to be quiet, she had taken off her leg brace, and thus slowly made her way towards the kitchen with a steady throb in her leg. A long daffodil colored dress that fell past her feet hid that particular fact while her short hair was tied back into a small pigtail. The cherry blossom sash was of course, still around her neck.

Walking into the kitchen agonizingly slow, the girl met an interesting sight. A boy with hair the color of chocolate was holding a bunch of flowers in one hand and a tea cup in another. Turning to look at the kitchen door, the boy turned a slight shade of red as he attempted to hide what was in his hands behind his back and quietly uttered a greeting.

For the first time ever Sakura saw Wolf clean, healthy, and not in a slightly crazed state. Wearing a light green t-shirt and beige pants, the boy's toffee colored hair stood up in odd angles and gave him a slightly scruffy look, while his deep amber eyes glinted slightly in the light. With his growing physical ability easy to see, muscles slightly showing underneath almost tan skin, Sakura tried her hardest not to blush. This boy was indeed handsome at the least.

"G-Good morning." Wolf mumbled, looking down at the floor. Realizing she was staring Sakura blushed and looked down as well, quickly uttering a response.

"Good morning! …" A small silence filled the room, and the teenage girl felt the situation become increasingly awkward. Trying to break the tension, Sakura said,

"The sunrise is looking very pretty today." A small murmur of consent was heard and then there was only silence. Shaking her head at herself inwardly at the pathetic attempt, Sakura carried on. "So, um what are you doing with those flowers? And the… teacup?" Immediate reaction.

Instantly, the boy turned a bright shade of red and started mumbling and stumbling for words. Finally after a few minutes of incoherent soft babbling, Wolf gave up. Sighing he removed his hands from behind his back and showed the contents to her.

"I… I'm sorry about yesterday. For disturbing all of you. I know flowers are pretty, and people put them in their homes, but it doesn't seem to be working." Confused, Sakura stood there slowly processing the information before she finally understood. Wolf was trying to make up for what happened yesterday by giving the group flowers! Smiling kindly, she held back a giggle for the boy's sake.

"Oh! I see! You're trying to arrange them in the teacup?" Embarrassed even more, the boy slowly nodded his head. Shaking her head, Sakura went to one of the cupboards in the kitchen slowly, wincing slightly and remembering her right leg. Taking out a clear vase, the girl filled the vase around halfway with water at the sink before she turned around to head back to Wolf while explaining,

"With flowers, we usually put them in a vase, like this. Teacups can work too, but only with small flowers. Since yours have long stems, we'll put them in here. To keep them fresh, we fill the vase with water." Setting down the vase on the dining table, she motioned for Wolf to come closer. Hesitantly, Wolf obeyed and set the teacup down on the table as well. Then, he watched carefully as Sakura gently took a lavender flower from his bunch, and placed it in the vase.

"That's how it goes. You try." The girl said, smiling at the boy. Looking surprised for a moment Wolf looked at the vase and the flowers before saying slowly,

"O-okay." Then, carefully setting down the bunch of flowers so he could use both hands, the boy gently selected a rose from the pile. Sakura smiled a little; amused at how slowly and concentrated the boy looked, as if he was handling fine china. It still slightly surprised the girl about how little he knew about the world and small tasks as these.

Placing the rose in the water carefully, Wolf looked at Sakura cautiously, waiting for approval. Giggling cheerfully Sakura clasped her hands a nodded. Encouraged, the boy carefully placed all the flowers in the vase one by one until all the flowers were in place. Different textures, colors, and sizes exploded from the vase, and Sakura smiled, turning to look at Wolf.

"Great job!" Blushing slightly from the praise, Wolf ducked his head, mumbling. Thanking Sakura, the boy headed towards the door, about to vanish into the hallway. As the teenager was starting to leave, Sakura quickly called out,

"Ah, Wolf?" As said teen stopped in his tracks and turned around slowly to face the girl once more, Sakura carried on. "W-Do you want to make breakfast with me?" Turning pink Wolf mumbled something about already having a breakfast the boy quickly started to turn around again. "It doesn't matter if you already ate! We can make it for the others!" Sakura called out, careful to keep her voice in check, but suddenly desperate to keep talking to Wolf for a little longer.

"I-I don't really know how…" The boy quietly said. Determined nonetheless, Sakura replied,

"I can teach you!" A few moments passed as the boy stood in the doorway, as if struggling in an internal war. Finally, he turned around, and faced Sakura.

"I don't want to be a bother…" The boy said hesitantly, his amber eyes flickering with worry. Suddenly elated that she had practically won the battle, Sakura smiled cheerfully.

"You're not a bother at all! Come on!" Walking back from the doorway Wolf walked still slightly hesitant towards the girl, and questioned,

"So, what are you making?" Thinking for a moment Sakura, walked slowly to the fridge, opening it and looking inside. After a minute she nodded, and replied.

"I think… eggs. We haven't had them in a long time, and there's enough." The girl said cheerfully. Behind her Wolf cocked his head curiously.

"Eggs? What are they?" The boy asked with curiosity clear in his voice. Whirling around in shock, Sakura looked at Wolf in amazement.

"You must try them! Here, I'll show you what they look like first." Taking out two cartons with eggs inside, she set them on the counter, and closed the fridge door. Opening the cartons, she showed the boy the white round objects.

"These are called eggs. They can be brown or white." Watching the boy, she saw some recognition flash behind amber eyes, and the teenager exclaimed,

"I think I've had them before! The food is inside right?" Nodding, Sakura grinned happily.

"Right! Inside is the yolk and egg white. We cook those, while usually throwing the shell away. They aren't just food though." Wolf pulled his eyes off the eggs to look at Sakura.

"What else are they?" The boy asked. Sakura replied,

"If they aren't meant to be eaten, the mother hen who laid the eggs keeps them safe and warm. Then, the eggs hatch, letting out a little bird called a chick." Nodding, Wolf looked at the eggs in wonder. Then, he turned to face Sakura.

"So… how do we cook the eggs?" Nodding, Sakura went to the closest cupboard and pulled out a frying pan and a bowl.

"I'll teach you. First, we need a frying pan, a bowl, and a fork." Setting down the items in her hand she walked past Wolf to get a fork from the cutlery drawer. Then returning to where the eggs were she set down the fork.

"Now, we take an egg, and lightly tap it against the counter. We want a few cracks in the shell, like this." Taking one cold egg she cracked it lightly against the counter, and motioned for Wolf to do the same. Nodding, the boy picked up one egg and weighed it in his hand for a moment before he gently tapped the countertop. When nothing happened, the boy tried again, much harder, and crushed the shell all the way, successfully creating a mess all over his hand.

Shocked, the boy stared at the dripping contents of the egg all over his hand as Sakura giggled softly. Turning to look at Sakura, a blush crept over the boy as he watched the girl laugh. As Sakura composed herself the boy quickly looked away, embarrassed.

"That's all right; it was your first time after all! I broke many eggs as well! Here, let's wash that off in the sink and try again."

* * *

After a few other attempts and accidents, Wolf clumsily slid off the last egg onto a plate. Sakura smiled and clapped her hands quietly, as to not disturb the still sleeping troupe, something quite unusual. Secretly though, the girl was a little happy that they weren't awake yet.

"We did it! Great job Wolf!" Sakura trilled happily grinning from ear to ear. Wolf himself was smiling too, and Sakura couldn't help but blush, looking at the smiling teen.

"I-I'll get us some water, you must be thirsty!" The girl exclaimed, starting to walk over to where a cupboard filled with glasses was. An arm however, stopped her from moving. Turning to look back, she saw Wolf holding her arm. Upon realizing what he was doing, the boy blushed furiously, but didn't let go.

"I can get it, why don't you sit down?" Amber eyes looked straight into jade ones, and Sakura blushed even more.

"I-It's no problem; I can get them myself-"

"You're leg." Jade eyes widening in surprise, Sakura stared at Wolf.

"Eh?"

"You're leg; you don't have that metal thing on. You're limping too. It hurt the whole time you were making breakfast with me, didn't it? You should sit down." Unable to do anything but fumble for words, the girl gave up, and went to sit down. The teenage boy went to the cupboard and slowly took out two glasses as Sakura sat. While the boy filled the two objects up with water, Sakura looked at the back of Syaoran, and ducking her head, mumbling quietly,

"T-Thank you." Turning back to look at the girl, Wolf studied her for a few moments before he replied, slightly curious,

"I didn't do anything…" Sakura shook her head, and the two lapsed into a silence as Wolf handed the girl her water and he sat down as well. The two drank in silence, but not uncomfortably so. Sakura watched Wolf from over the brim of her glass as he looked outside peacefully, relaxed. The girl found herself wishing that the moment would never end between the two, and later would wonder why. Turning to face the thinking girl, Wolf set down his glass.

"Um… Thank you… S-Sa-" The boy never got to finish as just at that moment the loud sound of a door opening and footsteps were heard. Jumping up suddenly, Wolf practically leapt from out of his chair and bowed to Sakura.

"I apologize about yesterday. Thank you." Before Sakura could say anything, the boy was out of the room faster than a bullet, and long gone before the teenage girl could open her mouth. A few moments later, Fai and Yui came into the kitchen, accompanied by Tomoyo.

"Was that Wolf I saw?" Fai was asking Yui. The other man shrugged, and then Tomoyo noticed Sakura. Waving a good morning to her accompanied by a smile, the girl walked towards the sitting teenager. Somehow Sakura found it hard to smile back, even though she did so. Yui sat down at the table along with Tomoyo, while Fai walked towards the kitchen.

"Kuro-pon is still meditating in his room, so what do you guys wa- Wow! Sakura, you already made breakfast?"

"Uh, y-yes…" Sakura said distantly, feeling slightly dazed. Fai grinned and began to comment on the eggs, while Tomoyo noticed the flowers on the table. Pointing to them, the ebony-haired girl turned to look at Sakura questioningly. Noticing them as well, Yui turned to look at Sakura as well.

"Yes I was wondering that as well, Tomoyo. Did you pick those flowers Sakura?" Slightly startled, the girl looked at the flowers and blinked, staring at the colorful arrangement.

"Uh... N-No… Wolf did." Ignoring the questioning looks coming from rest of the people in the room; Sakura continued to stare at the flowers, before slowly pulling her eyes to look at Wolf's glass still on the table, abandoned in his hurry, the glass still holding a little water. She repeated the words softly under her breath, no one else able to hear her.

"Wolf… did…"

* * *

Wolf closed the door to his room, heart still pounding from the close call, the boy shakily walked towards the chair in his room. Sitting down, the boy looked out his window, not really seeing looking at anything though. His eyes were still showing him one auburn-haired, jade-eyed teen and her beautiful smile. His mind would be slightly frazzled for quite a while.

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**End of Chapter Seven**

** Woah…. That whole thing was muuuuuch longer than I anticipated… I expected to be able to get a good way into the preparations of their next performance in this same chapter! Yeesh…. Well, you know what's coming up next chapter: Preparations. I think the next chapter after that will be the actual performance… Oh well, this was a much needed scene anyway. REVIEW PLEASE!**


	8. An Interesting Development

**Song of the Wolf**

**Chapter Eight: An Interesting Development**

**By: Eviltiger**

**Author's Note: Own nothing. Please review? It's going to be hard to write, so updates will be far and few in between, but I will try my hardest to write whenever I can! Anyway, thank you for the reviews, and please enjoy the story! There will be a little Fai POV towards the end!**

**AAAAAAAAAGH!**

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A few hours had passed since Wolf had cooked eggs with Sakura, yet the teenager was still sitting in the exact same position he had started in, looking out the window with his eyes unfocused. The only change was that he could think properly now, his mind taped back together and somewhat properly functioning. The clink of tableware had ceased, meaning breakfast for the group had been finished and cleaned, but now there was much commotion about the living space outside of Wolf's room.

Realizing that Kurogane hadn't come to tell him it was time for their practice and it was nearing noon, Wolf slowly stood up from his chair. After the creak and pops of his muscles and bones from being put to use after such a long time of disuse, the teen walked towards his window. Then, carefully taking the two potted plants into his hands, the boy set them down on the floor a little ways away. Straightening up, Wolf began to unlock the window to his room for the second time that day. The first time had been in the very early morning.

Originally, he had escaped to think of a way to apologize. When he had found the flowers growing a little ways away, the boy had picked a few, remembering the flower patterns adorning plates, cups, and a few bookshelves. This time, however, he was going out to see if Kurogane was waiting for him outside, and taking this way was a much quicker way to get out. That was only part of the reason, though. At the moment, Wolf didn't want to see the rest of the group quite yet. More specifically, the teen didn't want to run into a certain very pretty girl with eyes of emerald.

Jumping out, the boy winced at the light impact and the bright sun, before the quick pain faded away, and his eyes slowly began to adjust to the light. Looking around, Wolf first saw no one in the field. Beginning to wonder what was going on, the boy sat down on the ground, leaning against the trailer, and looked up at the trees and sky. Feeling a cool breeze ruffle his hair the boy closed his eyes for a moment and savored the feeling. Slowly opening them once more, he lazily gazed at the treetops. That's when he saw Tomoyo.

At first, alarm rushed through Wolf as he immediately struggled to get up and run to the girl, but after a few tense seconds on closer inspection, the boy slid back down, gaping in amazement. The ebony-haired girl was balancing precariously on a branch in one of the tallest trees. At one glance, it looked as if she could fall at any moment, but once a better look was taken, one could see that the girl seemed perfectly in control. Thankfully, she wasn't wearing a skirt or a dress. Tomoyo was wearing a pair of black tights, with a white shirt, and Wolf was surprised that she, or anybody in the group, owned something pure black and white.

Arms outstretched, the teenager's eyes were closed, and the only parts of her touching the tree were the balls of her feet. Perfectly still, she was almost part of the tree, not even seeming to breathe, yet swaying gently with the slight breeze. Suddenly, violet eyes were revealed, and the teenage girl jumped up high into the air. Amazed, Wolf could only watch as Tomoyo did an almost dance like series of flips, kicks, and hand motions before the girl landed back on the exact branch she had before, this time balancing only on her right toe.

Swaying gently with the tree once more in a state of perfect balance and control, Tomoyo then turned her head ever so gently, and looked down straight at Wolf. The boy flushed red, embarrassed at being caught, and looked down at his knees. A small tinkle of laughter caused him to look up again, his eyes widening with alarm. Tomoyo was walking on the very thin branch, toe by toe, to the edge. Unease wormed its way into Wolf's heart, and the boy began to stand up slowly, almost as if preparing for something. Looking at Tomoyo, the teenage boy watched as the ebony-haired girl waved at him while smiling, having stopped right at the edge of the branch. That was when she fell.

Time suddenly seemed to slow down as Tomoyo's right toe slipped and lost balance. Violet eyes widening in surprise, the girl began to fall backwards, her arms reaching out for the branches out of her reach. As if his feet were glued to the ground, Wolf could only watch horror struck as the girl began falling, falling, falling. Falling! His legs springing back to life, the boy ran towards Tomoyo as fast as he could, fear racing through him. He wasn't going to make it in time! Urging his body to go faster, Wolf sprinted, trying to reach the girl before she hit the ground-

Two hands nimbly caught a branch, and before Wolf could even blink Tomoyo was back safely on the tree with both feet planted on a branch. It took several seconds for the poor boy to realize what had just occurred when he saw the girl giggling with mirth, a mischievous twinkle in her eye. She had tricked him. Feeling a relief flow through him, the boy sighed slightly, relaxing, although his heart was still pounding from the sudden use. As his breathing began to slow down, the teen heard a voice from one side of the tree. Jumping, Wolf turned to look at the figure that had appeared from nowhere.

"Tomoyo! You damn brat! I hope you really _do_ fall one day!" The tan man known as Kurogane roared, glaring up at Tomoyo and looking extremely pissed off. Wolf hadn't even noticed that he had been lurking in the shadows until then. Tomoyo simply giggled and swung on another branch of the tall tree, seemingly oblivious to Kurogane's cursing.

As Kurogane continued to let out a stream of profanities and Tomoyo continued to giggle happily, Wolf noticed something. While Kurogane looked extremely pissed off, the man was breathing a little heavier than usual and looked quite disheveled. Never in all of Wolf's training sessions had the man even broken into sweat. Thinking about it, this was the first time, in fact, that the teen had seen the man so riled up.

While the two continued their antics, Wolf studied the duo and began finding similarities he had missed before. They seemed to be complete opposites: Tomoyo, delicate, small and pale whereas Kurogane was sturdy, tall and dark. However, putting the appearances aside, the teen began to see a resemblance with the way the two acted. Both moved in a graceful, fluid way, never making any jerky movements. Their slight movements: a shift here, a turn there, it all spoke a hidden language. Before long, Wolf could almost see Kurogane in Tomoyo.

"So similar…" The boy murmured. Immediately after the words had slipped from his tongue Wolf went red and covered his mouth with a hand. He just realized how absurd he sounded. Them alike?! Remaining as still as a mouse, the boy fervently hoped that Kurogane hadn't heard.

As it turned out, Kurogane wasn't the only one who had fairly good hearing. The two who had been previously engaged turned suddenly to look at Wolf, remembering he was there as well. Tomoyo stopped giggling, and both simply looked at the teen. Jumping down gracefully from the tree, Tomoyo cocked her head at Wolf questioningly, while Kurogane spoke.

"How the hell are we the same?" Kurogane rumbled, staring at Wolf. It wasn't an unfriendly tone, just gruff, and slightly curious if the teen heard right. Kurogane was however, staring at him slightly oddly with a look the teen couldn't place. Looking a way, the boy mumbled something unintelligible and coughed, his cheeks feeling as if on fire.

Why was Kurogane staring at him like that? The boy strained to remember if he had done anything that would have caused such a look… Then suddenly it hit him like a lightning bolt. The last time anyone besides Sakura had seen him was the night before! When he had lost his photograph, and acted insane. Flinching from the sudden onslaught of memory, the boy bowed deeply, trying to hide his horror. His hands started to tremble as he managed to squeak out,

"I- Please forgive me! I apologize about yesterday!" How could he have been so stupid to forget?! What would they do to him?! The questions echoed in the teenager's head, his hands shaking slightly. All he could do was to wait for his judgment. Would they let him stay here? Narrowing his eyes, Kurogane looked at Wolf for a long time, studying him. There was a small silence in the field, and with every passing second the boy's tension increased.

Suddenly, Kurogane began to move towards the teen, his expression unreadable. Willing himself not to flinch with every footfall, Wolf closed his eyes tightly, awaiting his fate. They weren't going to let him stay. They hated him. The tall man was going to kill him! When Kurogane was just in front of the boy, the man stopped. Wolf squeezed his hands fiercely with his head still bowed. His heart pounded like a jackhammer in his chest, the silence stretching on and on. Why didn't Kurogane just hit him already?!

There was a small shift in movement as Kurogane hand reached out to Wolf's head. Trembling, the boy waited for the worst- when the rough hand ruffled Wolf's hair. The teen's eyes to snap open. What was the man doing? Kurogane's hand was on top of the boy's head, mussing Wolf's hair slightly, in an almost comforting gesture. As quick as the warmth on his head had been felt, though, it disappeared, and Kurogane walked away from the boy as if nothing had happened. The tension-filled air around the teenager, however, had been dispelled. The boy wasn't scared anymore, just filled with curiosity and questions.

"No training today." Kurogane called back. "Put yourself to use and help around. Performance tomorrow." With that the man rounded the corner of the trailer and disappeared from sight. Dumbfounded, Wolf stared behind him, looking at the place where Kurogane had last been. A small chime of laughter came from behind him, and the boy turned to see Tomoyo coming towards him. The girl was laughing and looking at Wolf with warm eyes. Smiling, she nodded before going after Kurogane, leaving Wolf alone. The teenager looked at the corner with confused eyes, silence reigning, and slowly reached up to touch the top of his head.

* * *

Two tall, slim blondes were outside of the trailer they called their home, enjoying the nice weather while working hard. Fai hummed cheerfully to himself while patching up one of the costumes for the performance tomorrow. Shara was a city the gang was very popular in, and with any luck they would sell many tickets and sweets. Sakura was going to very likely be in the kitchen the whole day, with Fai trying to help her out whenever he could. Everyone was very busy fixing props, practicing their routines, setting up the large tent, and making sure their instruments were in top notch.

Putting the finishing touches of the design on the cloth, Fai nodded in satisfaction and folded it gently back into the box it had come from. Standing up and stretching, the man noticed a tall figure rounding one corner of the home. Kurogane was followed by Tomoyo, who smiled and waved at Fai. Doing the same, Fai happily walked over to the siblings, grateful for the chance to stand up and walk around.

"You've finished your routines, Kurogane, Tomoyo?" The man said cheerfully. Tomoyo nodded while Kurogane simply grunted in affirmation.

"I'll help with the tent, and Tomoyo wants to patch up the costumes and designs." The tan man said, the violet girl with him nodding her consent. Clapping his hands cheerfully, Fai grinned.

"Great! Now that everyone's practiced their part, we can all focus on the grunt work. Let's get started!" The blonde cheered, and the three dispersed to do their work. While the blonde walked towards the piles of boxes and various items Fai surveyed how much work was left to do. First off, the piles of boxes holding the tent equipment needed to be moved. Taking one, the man grunted slightly with discomfort before hefting the heavy crate up. Then, the man began walking towards Yui and Kurogane slowly, as if he was a drunk remembering how to walk.

Passing by the corner of the trailer, the blonde noticed a flash in movement out of the corner of his eye. Turning to see who it was surprise flitted on his face. A fidgety teen with chocolate spiky hair stood next to the wall of the trailer. Upon noticing Fai's gaze, the boy turned red and his fidgeting increased. Amused, Fai looked at the teenager curiously. What was he doing? Then, as if gathering his courage, Wolf marched over to the tall man determined. Stopping a foot away, the boy bowed deeply while exclaiming quickly,

"I-I apologize for last night! Please forgive me! What may I do to help?" Surprised by the intensity of the kid and how serious he looked, Fai couldn't help but break out into a kind smile. While last night had been anything but boring, the boy was really a nice person.

"No problem! You can help me by moving those boxes, like the one I'm carrying, to where Kuro-sama and Yui-chaan are. An extra set of hands is just what we needed!" Fai exclaimed happily, and resumed back on track towards the two men a little ways away. Upon setting down the box, the blonde returned to the stack of boxes, where Wolf was lifting up a crate as well. Taking another large block into his hands, Fai remembered something and turned to look at the teen struggling with the box in his hands.

"Say, Wolf, did you make us breakfast this morning?" The blonde inquired curiously, waiting for an answer. Said teenager looked up in momentary confusion, before the words the slim man had said registered. The reaction was one worth remembering for all of time. Wolf's face went from curious, to shock, to bright red and nearly dropped the box he was holding on to. Giving a small yelp the boy quickly secured the crate before stuttering,

"E-er, Um, w-well,… y-yes?" Wolf mumbled, looking down at the brown object in his hands. If this wasn't a curious response, Fai didn't know what was. Suddenly recalling Sakura's interesting mood and distant look earlier, Fai began to grow suspicious. What in the world had happened? Trying to push in into the back of his mind, Fai laughed and said,

"For a beginner, it wasn't bad at all! Good work!" The boy coughed and mumbled quite some more after this statement, and afterwards the two lapsed into a working silence that lasted the rest of their work. All the while though, the suspicious events and actions whispered in his ear, his imagination working overtime trying to make some light of what had happened. The man never got very far.

* * *

The sun was low on the horizon and the day was beginning to cool down when the group finally finished all the work necessary for the performance tomorrow. Wolf let out a sigh, his muscles starting to throb from the overexertion. Looking up at the huge tent a little ways in front of the trailer, the boy marveled at the size.

While he had helped set up the outside frame, signs, and small ticket booth, the boy had yet to go inside. Even though the tent was big, however, it didn't seem like anything more than a big stage could fit inside. He had seen the various items they had been bringing in, though, and most of them seemed way too large to all fit in that tiny space.

Wolf continued to stare at the tent, while everyone else began heading inside the trailer, curiosity eating away at his insides. Apparently, Fai noticed the boy's bewilderment. Before heading back inside the home, the blonde called out to the teen.

"Why don't you take a look inside, Wolf? I think we might have outdone ourselves this time! If you want to join us for dinner, though, you're going to have to make it quick." The slim male said. Nodding hesitantly, the boy slowly pushed open the thick cloth of the entrance to one side before stepping in.

Fai watched as the teenager walked inside the tent, smiling to himself. The tall man new the boy would be astounded with the size, and probably stay in there for a little while. Most likely on purpose as well, to avoid having dinner with the group the man realized with a sad pang. Shaking his head, Fai closed the door to the trailer. He then proceeded to look for Sakura so they could heat up the dinner. Looking in all the rooms of the trailer, worry began to settle in as the man saw no sign of the pretty girl.

"Sakura?" Fai called out, "Saaakura." A swish of movement caught his attention as Yui poked his head out of the room they shared.

"You're looking for Sakura?" The man asked. Fai looked at his twin and nodded.

"Yes, I was going to get dinner ready with her. Do you know where she is?" The blonde questioned.

"She's in the tent, trying on the different clothes she's wearing for performance." Yui replied.

"Oh, okay, I'll go g-" The man suddenly froze as his brother's words sank in. A funny look crossed his face as Fai asked slowly,

"She's… changing… in the tent?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"…Shit."

* * *

**End of Chapter 8**

**Heh heh, this gone be good! So please review! It'll give me more incentive to write! Finally got this chapter done! Sorry for the long wait, just been so busy! Thank for reading!**


	9. Conversations Only Pose Questions

**Song of a Wolf**

**Chapter Nine: Conversations Only Pose Questions**

**By: Eviltiger**

**Author's Note: HAPPY THANKSGIVING! Finally uploaded! Btw, ****this whole chapter is set before and while Fai finds out the two are in the tent.**** Thank you for staying with me this long you guys! We're almost at chapter ten, and yet there's so much stuff left! Aaagh, sorry. School's a killer…. Please read and review! Thanks a bunch! ****I- HATE-**

**HOOOOOMEWOOOOOORK!**

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At first, when Wolf had walked into the tent, he could see nothing. A thick heavy darkness enshrouded the place, so dark Wolf couldn't even see his own hand when it was almost touching his face. Panic began to well up in the teenager as he began to slowly back away from the darkness, groping the air around him in hopes of finding the soft material walls, and then the exit. The darkness was all around him, taunting him, consuming him in silence. There was nothing, nothing at all, just like the dreamless induced sleep he had to suffer each night for seven years. He had to get out. He had to get-

Suddenly, something snagged Wolf's attention and brought the boy back to reality. Turning slowly, as if afraid he would chase whatever it was away, the boy looked behind him to see what had caught his eye. At first it was just a tiny flicker, so small the teenager nearly missed it, but slowly and steadily that flicker began growing brighter and stronger to become something that chased away the dark: light.

Curious, the teenager walked closer to see how the source of light was emanating from the _center_ of the tent. While the light continued to glow stronger, Wolf could slowly see that in front of him there were many rows of chairs expanding in a circle. The circle slowly went down as well, and at the bottom of the circle of built-in chairs, there was a stage. On the stage, was the source of the light: Sakura.

The girl was moving slowly and fluidly, in almost a dance, while her dress was slowly lighting up and glowing. It was a soft flickering yellow hue, warmed by orange and pink tones. The sleeveless dress billowed around her and ended at her ankles, while a snow white sash sparkled and glimmered at her waist. Wolf could only watch, transfixed. She was like a single star in a dark night sky, except with a light less distant, less cold, less unreachable. This light was warm, and accepting. Kind and soft. With that thought, Wolf suddenly realized he hadn't been associating the dress with those adjectives. He had been describing her.

While he was contemplating this new revelation, the stage had slowly begun glowing and lighting up beneath Sakura's feat, shining light strong enough for Wolf to be able to get a good look at the inside of the tent for the first time.

To say the least, Wolf was beyond amazed. He knew that magic was powerful and could do all sorts of things, but this was incredible. The top of the tent was more than fifty feet above him, while the structure's diameter on the ground stretched at least seventy feet. Along the sides of the tent, small stall-like structures spotted the sides, sporting flashy signs telling what was sold there, such as food, trinkets, magical objects, and clothes.

Slowly turning back to the circle of chairs in the middle of the tent, Wolf noted that even the people that would sit in the back row seats would be able to see the person on the stage clearly, as such was the design. The whole tent had been made with only the thought of what was best for the customers, and the boy wondered who had created the design. It was truly a work of art. Then, the light underneath Sakura and on her disappeared, and for a moment, the whole tent was engulfed in darkness again.

Before Wolf even had time to react, however, small lanterns that rimmed the tent's walls everywhere slowly lit up, as if after a performance. For a brief moment, the boy wondered if he should clap, and looked down to see Sakura. The girl was smiling, and she breathed a sigh as her hands went up in a long stretch. While she stretched, however, she winced and stumbled. A pang of worry shot through Wolf, and the boy made a move as if to run down to help her before he caught himself, realizing what he had been about to do.

Instead of running down, the boy watched with clenched hands as Sakura slowly hobbled over to a pile of boxes near the right side of the stage. The girl sat down with an exhale of relief, and Wolf realized then that the female hadn't been wearing her leg brace. Another pang of worry shot through the boy, and he struggled to quell it. Then, after a moment's rest, Sakura's hands went up behind her neck, and fumbling motions were made as if she was struggling to undo something.

Wolf watched curiously for a second, wondering what exactly Sakura could be doing. More fumbling motions were made, and suddenly Wolf realized exactly what he was about to witness. A furious blush covered his face completely, and the boy immediately turned around, rushing towards the tent's exit. She was undressing!

However, a rope craftily lying on the floor before the exit had gone unseen, and the boy tripped on the thick material. Suddenly thrust forward, the teenager clawed at the air, desperately trying to grab onto something. Flailing hands caught onto the edge of a pile of boxes, but gripping the box too tightly the boy's fatal error. His momentum previously aimed towards the floor was simply redirected to the boxes and Wolf pitched forward into the tower of boxes, resulting in a loud crash, contents spilling from the brown containers while they tumbled to the ground.

There was a small cry from behind him, and Sakura called out, "Who's there?!" Wolf groaned slightly, rubbing his head from the collision as he shakily stood up. Pain overrode his senses, and with a cloudy head he walked towards the stage once more. Stumbling forward, he let himself be seen to Sakura, who was thankfully hiding behind the pile of boxes at the end of the stage, so only her head could be seen, the mesmerizing green eyes of hers widened with alarm.

"I'm sorry! I-I came here to see what it was like inside, and I saw you dancing! I didn't want to interrupt you so I kept quiet, but then you started to u-u-un-Ah! I didn't see anything! Please forgive me! I was heading for the exit, but I tripped and fell and-ah, I-I'm sorry!" The boy exclaimed, his face turning an even darker shade of red as he kept trying to explain himself, his face and eyes trained to the floor, making sure he did not accidently see anything.

"O-oh." The timid reply came, "U-um, it's alright…. I-I'll be done in a minute, so could you turn around please?" Sakura called out, no doubt as red as Wolf was. The boy nodded furiously, eyes shut, and turned around immediately.

"Of course! I'm very sorry for intruding!" The teen said quickly, his back turned to the girl and face afire. An awkward silence suffocated the tent, and the once huge structure suddenly seemed extremely too small. Wolf wished he could crawl into a small hole away from the world and disappear, daring to venture out only after a couple millennia. Embarrassed to the point of no extent, the boy turned only darker shades of red as he heard the gentle sound of cloth shifting against skin. After an unbearably long silence punctuated only by the shifting of clothes, the movements stopped, signaling the girl had finished changing.

"I-I'm okay now, you can look." Sakura called out timidly, and Wolf obeyed, still red in the face.

"I'm really sorry, I had only intended to see what the inside of the tent was; I never meant to intrude." The boy stammered, looking down at his toes. A blush on her face, Sakura smiled sheepishly and waved her hand.

"Oh, i-it is alright, I'm sorry, my dancing must have been distracting, it was very bad this time." She said. Wolf's shock made him look at the girl as he shook his head furiously.

"No, it wasn't bad at all, it was beautiful! I-I mean, you danced very well." He stammered. Sakura blushed again, surprised but happy from the comment.

"Oh, thank you… Hey, Wolf, would you like to come down here? It's a different view than from up above." She said timidly, waiting for the answer. Wolf hesitated, looking away and then back at Sakura. Giving in, the boy said slowly,

"W-Well, would it be alright if I did?" Beaming, Sakura nodded happily. Wolf could only stare at the girl slightly mesmerized. She was very pretty when she smiled. Struggling to push thoughts of warmth away, the teenager focused on what Sakura was saying.

"Of course, after all, you're going to be performing on this stage eventually too!" The girl named after cherry blossoms said, her eyes sparkling. Wolf walked down to Sakura slowly, and sat down next to her when he reached the stage. Turning to look at the tent from this angle, the boy's breath was swept away as he saw everything from a different viewpoint. It was the same tent, and he had already seen it all, but something about being on the stage threw his whole perspective of the place into a whole new light, adrenaline coursing through his body for no reason at all.

"It's amazing, isn't it?" Sakura said, watching Wolf's reaction. The boy could only nod in awe. "It's different being a performer than being a spectator; I believe we might get more of a thrill than they do!" She said, now staring up at the huge tent as well.

"It's all so… amazing…" Wolf said, "Magic is really powerful." Sakura nodded in agreement to his statement.

"It really is. Having powerful magic isn't always for the best however." The girl said, a faraway look coming into her eyes. It went unnoticed by Wolf however, as the boy was taking a trip down memory lane himself, his eyes darkening.

"…Yeah. I know that. I guess I know that too well." Wolf mumbled, his bangs falling over his eyes. Now that the boy thought about it, magic was really the only explanation to _that_ man and what he did. Magic would doom the person he was searching for if he didn't hurry. He had to hurry.

"-olf… Wolf?" Sakura's voice brought the boy out of his brooding, and he looked back up at her. The girl had a concerned look on her face, her eyes reflecting worry. "Are you okay?" Wolf nodded and smiled.

"Yeah, I'm perfectly fine." The lie was bitter on his tongue, but he did his best to ignore it. This lie was a perfectly harmless one.

"Oh, speaking of magic, that reminds me! There was something I wanted to show you here!" Sakura exclaimed suddenly, surprising Wolf. She began to stand up awkwardly, her leg brace getting in the way, and started walking towards the back of the stage, where two long thick drapes hung. Turning to Wolf she motioned for him to follow her. "Follow me! Ah- that is, if you want to…?"

"I-uh, is it all right if I did?" The boy said hesitantly. Seeing Sakura's happy nod, the boy stood up and began walking after her. Once certain Wolf was following her, Sakura walked all the way to the back of the stage, talking along the way.

"Did you know magic is hereditary? It's passed along the generations, but the ability to control it, and whether you have it or not solely depends on the individual." Sakura commented.

"Really? Huh… That's interesting…" Wolf said, mulling that over. Was it possible then, that what happened at the tower had been… magic? That thought nibbled away at his mind, no matter how hard he tried to push it away. Pulling out of his thoughts, he focused on Sakura and her voice instead.

"I can't control my magic, but since I do have some that means at least one of my parents must have had a clear magic bloodline." She said, walking ahead of him. Wolf looked at her, startled as her words sunk in.

"You're parents are dead?" He blurted out. Sakura stopped walking as Wolf realized what an insensitive question that had been, not to mention foolish as well. It made sense after all, if she was in a traveling troupe when she was only around his age. The boy turned red and looked down at the ground.

"That was really an intrusive question, I apologize!" Wolf said. Sakura turned to face him now, and the boy could see she was smiling, but in a sad way.

"No, no, it's all right. I actually don't know what happened to them." She said, looking away now. Wolf looked up at Sakura in surprise as she continued on. "I can't remember anything up until when I was found by Feathers, and even now I have lapses in my memory. Funny, isn't it?" She stated almost numbly, an unbearably sad look on her face. Pain sliced through Wolf and without realizing what he was doing the boy walked forward towards the girl in front of him before grasping her arm tightly. Green eyes snapped out of their dull look to stare at him in surprise.

"It's not funny." Wolf said seriously, staring straight into the beautiful depths of Sakura's emerald eyes. "It's not funny at all. I'm sorry." The boy watched Sakura intently for a moment more, before his eyes widened and the hand gripping the girl released her, retreating quickly, as if he only just realized what he had been doing.

Sakura watched as the boy turned a shade of red yet again, looking away from her and mumbling apologies. If Wolf had looked back at the girl, however, he would have seen a grateful smile on Sakura's features. Contemplating his stupidity was what he was absorbed in at the moment though; to the point that Wolf didn't notice Sakura slowly walk to him. It was only until the teenager felt a soft tug on his shirt did he realize that Sakura was directly behind him, holding his shirt gently with her hand.

"Wolf… Thank you." She said quietly, holding onto his shirt for a moment, before letting it go softly, but remaining directly behind him. _'What did I do?'_ Wolf thought to himself. It had been the second time she had thanked him for no reason, and just like the first time the boy didn't understand. But Wolf didn't say anything.

He didn't want say anything, didn't dare move, didn't breathe, because if he did, Sakura would walk away, and whatever was occurring now would be over. It was selfish of him, but Wolf didn't want this moment to end. And so he did nothing. Sakura remained there behind him as well, and for a while the two just stood there, doing nothing, saying nothing, wanting nothing. Like all magic, however, the spell broke. Sakura made a sudden noise of exclamation, startling Wolf enough to make him turn around.

"What's wrong?" The boy said, watching the other teenager as she began walking as fast as she could towards the end of the stage before going off the stage and rushing up the steps to the exit of the tent.

"It's almost dinnertime! I have to make it with Fai, and I forgot!" She exclaimed, turning her head to look back at him. Stopping for a moment, the girl turned to look back at Wolf. "Dinner will be soon. Do you want to join us?" She asked, an emotion Wolf couldn't quite place flickering in the girl's eyes.

The boy recalled what having dinner with the group would be like. It would be warm. Family-like. Comforting. Accepting. Trusting. Things Wolf knew he had to stay away from. Things Wolf, if he was truly honest with himself, wanted. The teenager's mouth opened, the 'yes' on his lips so tantalizing, the idea of sharing a meal with them so appealing, the want to become part of their family so irresistible… When Wolf remembered who he was.

The teen looked away from Sakura, pain jabbing his heart. He couldn't let himself get close. It would endanger him and them as well. That was a risk not worth its price. He had to refuse the offer.

"I… I'd like to stay here a little longer. I'm actually not that hungry yet." He said slowly, refusing to look at Sakura lest he see the hurt in her eyes. A small silence met his response, before Sakura said softly,

"Oh… Alright, take your time then." before heading up the steps once more, her pace a little slower than before. Wolf still didn't look at the retreating girl. A few steps later, however, and the girl's footsteps stopped again. There was a moment of silence, and then Sakura spoke.

"Why do you try to distance yourself from us?" She said quietly, but loud enough to make sure she knew Wolf had heard. Wolf said nothing for a moment, still refusing to look at Sakura. Struggling mentally to decide what he should tell her, the boy gave up.

"I… It's not my nature to be close to people. I don't really like the whole family vibe." Another lie. This one was burned like fire in his throat, and felt like acid on his tongue.

"Won't you please to me the real reason?" Wolf looked up at her, shocked, and accidently made eye contact. Her question had surprised him, and in her eyes he could see a steadfast determination to find the truth.

"I-I…" He stumbled, groping for something, anything, until he finally relented, and gave the true reason. "I'll tear you're group apart. I don't want to hurt you. But if I get close to you all, I will." Wolf turned away from Sakura and waited. Waited for the questions and cry of hate, and accusations. But they never came.

"…I won't ask you to eat with us anymore then, because you will simply refuse them. However, if you ever change your mind, please come and join us. We will be waiting." The warmth and kindness in her voice killed Wolf, and it took every ounce of his self-control to keep from changing his mind. The footsteps took up again, and Wolf could tell that Sakura was nearly at the top stairs. Not looking at her, the boy spoke.

"How did you know I was lying?" He said, his voice cracking slightly. He could almost picture Sakura's smile as she replied slightly giggling,

"You're a good person. And a tell-tale trait of a good person is that they can't lie. Good-night, Wolf." The footsteps resumed again, as Wolf's conflicting emotions only grew stronger.

"Good-night…S-…Sa-" Before Wolf could finish his sentence a blonde man walked into the tent, and the teenager's mouth clamped shut. The blonde on closer inspection was Yui. Yui took one look at Sakura right in front of him who was exclaiming something, to Wolf who was standing on the stage and staring back at him, before the man held open the drapes that opened up to be the tent's exit and called out,

"Idiot brother! They're miles away from each other! Relax!" Causing another blonde to pop into the tent, who was smiling and talking rapidly.

"Yuuuuui! I'm not an idiot! And I am relaxed, I was just slightly nervous and concerned for Sakura and I'm very glad that you two are far apart from each other!" Fai said in a cheery tone, directing the last bit towards Sakura and Wolf. After a few moments of confusion for Wolf, he understood what the twins were implying, and he found himself turning a shade of bright red yet again. It took Sakura a little longer than Wolf, until she realized as well, and her face colored a deep magenta.

The two teenagers ended that night being a brilliant tomato color, furiously shaking their heads and trying to explain that nothing occurred in the tent that was indecent, although they left out certain events that had taken place. Both completely forgot about the item Sakura had wished to show Wolf, and it still remained there, waiting patiently until the time came for its role to be played.

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**End of Chapter Nine**

**Kyaaaa! It's done! This chapter took me forever! I'm so glad it's done, although next up is the performance, and I have a feeling that one is going to be looooooong… Sigh… Oh well. PLEASE REVIEW! AND I MEAN YOU, THE PERSON WHO IS READING THIS BUT NOT BOTHERING TO SEND A LITTLE FEEDBACK TO THIS IDIOT OF AN AUTHOR! PLEASE, JUST A LINE OR TWO IS ENOUGH! Thank you for reading.**


	10. The Performance

**Song of the Wolf**

**Chapter Ten: The Performance**

**By: Eviltiger**

**Author's Note: Oh boy. This one's gonna be long… SEE? Reviewing wasn't that hard! And you made this fool very happy, which made me encouraged to write the chapter faster! THANK YOU SO MUCH! Ps. Paradise of Light and Shadow is an awesome song! ;)**

**BONUS****: What are the names of the songs Sakura sing, and where have they been used? You'll understand when you see it…****Review and tell me, and you'll get a cookie! If you don't know, review anyway! Good Luck!**

**I LOVE YOU ALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL L!**

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Wolf awoke to the sounds of a busy household. Cracking open a bleary eye, the teenager slowly got out of bed, before he realized why there was such a frenzied commotion outside his door so early in the morning. The day of the group's performance had arrived.

Slightly more alert, the boy began to dress faster as blood began circulating through his body. Since Wolf wasn't ready this time around, it was the perfect opportunity to go to the city and search. The troupe would be too busy to notice his disappearance, and he would be back before the show ended. Once finished with his routinely exercises and fully dressed, the boy opened the door to his room and walked out into the hallway, his photograph tucked safely in his pants pocket.

No sooner had he walked out the door Wolf ducked quickly to avoid Fai whizzing past him with two dangerously tall stacks of plates in each hand. The boy gaped at the slim man, as he didn't seem to be running, but almost floating at a fast pace. Fai hadn't even noticed him, however, and continued to speed down the hallway unchecked. After that another blonde man hurried by Wolf, carrying a couple objects Wolf couldn't even recognize among other miscellaneous stuff. Noticing the teenager, Yui stopped and nodded a greeting.

"Good morning Wolf. Head to Tomoyo's room, she'll decide on what you should wear and such for your job." The man said, shifting his load slightly to ease the strain.

"Job?" Wolf echoed in puzzlement. Yui nodded in confirmation.

"You will be selling tickets at the front of the tent and passing out flyers. Once you're finished you can watch the performance or just rest in here. Tomoyo will give you the flyers and dress you up. I have to get these backstage now." And with that the man was gone, walking out of the trailer door. Wolf watched the back of the slim man recede, before slowly turning to head towards Tomoyo's room, whichever one that may be.

Walking past each door in the hallway carefully, the teenager strained to hear any noises beyond each door, which was difficult considering the racket already around him. Mentally crossing off door after door, the boy's confusion heightened until he came to an entryway that was a soft lavender color with a silver moon-shaped mirror as a center-piece. Closing his eyes, he listened quietly to any sign of movement until he caught the faint swish of cloth and tinkling of bells.

Opening his eyes, the boy walked up to the door and grasped the handle to open it before remembering that this was a female's room he was about to walk in to. Letting go of the handle, the boy knocked on the door first, calling out,

"U-Um, this is Wolf. May I come in?" A clear voice responded, a voice that Wolf recognized well, and definitely did not belong to Tomoyo.

"Ah! Wait one minute please!" There was movement on the other side, before footsteps accented with a metal clunk were heard nearing towards Wolf. Moments later, the door opened to reveal Sakura, and Wolf was rendered speechless.

The beautiful teen was wearing the dress from last night, but up close it was much more intricate than the boy had taken it for. The dress was a light daisy hue that turned into tones of light pink and orange towards the bottom as he had seen before, but he could see now that it shimmered with slight silver hints in the light. At the bottom of the dress, the teenager saw a small pattern of clear teardrops dance around the perimeter.

The snow white sash sparkled at her hip, but also gave off hints of blue and purple and all the while still managed to go together perfectly. The sash itself was no longer tied off at the waist, but fell into two long streaming bands of cloth that encircled her feet. Her face was dusted with glimmering powder, while light swirling black patterns near the sides of her eyes made her jade eyes all the more mystical. She looked like something out of a fairy tale, ethereal and innocent.

"Is something wrong?" Sakura asked, looking at Wolf with worry. The boy snapped out of his trance, realized he had been staring, and blushed profusely.

"Oh, n-no. Um, I was told to come here by Yui…" The boy stammered. Sakura nodded as if she just understood something, saying,

"Ah, for your job! Tomoyo will decide what you should wear while I tell you what to do for your work. Come on in!" Sakura opened the door wider to allow the other teenager to walk in, and Wolf went inside.

Inside the room Tomoyo sat on a bed, sewing rapidly some kind of multi-colored outfit. The girl wore a many-layered light blue dress that reflected hints of silver and purple while its long sleeves could allow ivory hands to disappear in its folds. Small moon-shaped beads dotted the dress and reflected light, and tied to her waist were two tassels with a small bell on each end. A simple headdress lay on the bed next to her, while her hair was no longer flowing loosely, but in an elaborate hairdo. Tomoyo appeared to be a goddess, imperial and much more elegant than Sakura, but even so she lacked the warmth and kindness Sakura gave off.

Turning to look at Wolf, Tomoyo smiled and gestured for him to sit down in one of the chairs near her. As he sat down, Sakura came over and sat in the other chair next to him and began to talk once more to him as Tomoyo studied him with piercing purple eyes.

"Tomoyo is looking at you to decide what outfit you would look best in, so don't be alarmed. While she's thinking, I'll show you what you have to do." Leaning over one side of the chair, Sakura picked up two pieces of paper from the top of two stacks next to her chair. Showing them to Wolf she explained to him which ones were the tickets and which ones were the flyers, while telling them what to do with each, while Tomoyo continued to study the teenager. Her face was scrunched up into a frown for a long time, until suddenly the girl stood up.

Walking to a couple of boxes in one corner of her room Tomoyo dug around in there while Sakura finished explaining to Wolf his job. Then, finding what she desired, Tomoyo extracted the pieces of clothing from the box and rushed over to where Wolf and Sakura were waiting curiously. The girl walked over to Wolf, dumping the clothes into his hands, before motioning towards the door.

"Tomoyo found something! She wants you to get changed now. Once you're done, come back and we'll see how you look in it." Sakura interpreted. Wolf nodded, trying to discern what was in the pile he was holding while he stood and headed towards the door for the bathroom.

"Alright. Excuse me, then."

* * *

When Wolf returned he was wearing a simple white vest and brown pants with a reddish brown sash tied around his waist. His barefoot feet tread softly on the floorboards, barely making a sound. Tomoyo turned to evaluate the choice of clothing, and nodded her head eagerly. Then, bouncing over to Sakura the girl made a series of hand motions to the teenager in front of her, occasionally pointing back at Wolf.

"Eeh?! A-Are you sure Tomoyo?" Sakura exclaimed once Tomoyo had finished her hand motions. The lavender eyed girl nodded energetically, which only made Sakura protest harder. With every passing moment Wolf's curiosity spiked, until containing his apprehension no longer the boy finally asked,

"What does Tomoyo want to do?" The teenager asked hesitantly. Sakura whirled around to face Wolf, exclaiming,

"Ah! Well, you see… Tomoyo… wants to do dress you up befitting to your name…" Sakura trailed off, looking everywhere except at Wolf.

"As a wolf." Wolf stated, looking at Tomoyo for confirmation. Tomoyo nodded, while Sakura explained.

"Something around that. See, she wants to make you look a little like a wolf boy, but if you don't feel comfortable doing that-" She hesitated, looking at Wolf.

"It's okay, I don't really mind… as long as I don't get turned into an actual wolf." The boy added on the last part as a quick afterthought, looking at Sakura for confirmation that such a thing wouldn't occur. Sakura laughed, and shook her head.

"Of course we wouldn't do that! She just wants me to paint your face… but she wants to give you a temporary wolf tail and ears, which I really don't think you would enjoy…" Sakura looked down at the floor, embarrassed.

"U-um… I guess it could be interesting… As long as they aren't permanent." Sakura looked at the boy, worried.

"Are you sure?" She said, her green eyes round with concern. Wolf nodded, and to console Sakura gave a small smile. The girl blushed, while behind her a certain ebony haired girl beamed at him and did a tiny fist pump with each hand.

"Okay… I guess I'll start on your face then. Um, sit here please." Sakura gestured with her hand to a chair a little ways away from the boy while walking over to the side of the room and grabbing a rather large chest. Taking a seat in the chair Sakura had told him to, the boy watched as the girl came over to him with the chest and set it down near the chair right next to the one he was sitting in.

Sitting down in the chair, Sakura studied Wolf for a moment before she nodded and opened the chest. While the boy couldn't see what was inside the wooden box, he could hear the various tinkling and shuffling of jars and other objects. The boy watched as Sakura pulled out several small jars and brushes out of the box that she set down near her feet after unscrewing the caps of each little bottle. Then, choosing a wide brush and one bottle Sakura straightened up to face Wolf once more.

"Could you close your eyes now please?" Sakura asked Wolf. Obeying, the boy closed his eyes, but tensed when he couldn't see anything, as if bracing himself for an attack. All that met him however, was only a soft touch to the face, slightly prickly which tickled, but overall very soothing. The brush swept over his entire face lightly, making the boy drowsier by the minute. He didn't even notice when Tomoyo left the room to go run an errand, or hear the door close, so calm he was. It was all just so peaceful, it was almost as if he could hear soft singing…

_Haru ni saku hana,_

_natsu hirogaru sora yo._

_Kokoro no naka ni,_

_kizamerete kirameku…_

He hadn't been imagining it. Wolf opened his eyes, and found his face a mere few inches from Sakura's face as she was carefully painting near his left eye. Jade eyes met amber, and both teenagers turned a blushing red. Sakura jerked back from the boy, and started stammering apologies, while Wolf averted his eyes and started mumbling mixed apologies and excuses. Finally Wolf looked up at Sakura and said,

"U-Um, you sing very well." He stammered, trying to move away from the awkward moment that had just occurred. Sakura looked at him in surprise, and blushed.

"Oh… Thank you. I'm sorry; I didn't even realize I was singing! It's a habit of mine I suppose… Ah! I hope I wasn't bothering you!" Wolf shook his head, and said quickly,

"No, you weren't bothering me at all! It was very beautiful, I'm sorry for disturbing you." Sakura smiled embarrassedly, and then slowly sat back down in her seat.

"W-Well, I'm almost done with your face, and then all that will be left is for Tomoyo to cast the final touch." Wolf nodded, not acknowledging the small pang of disappointment he felt for not being able to stay with Sakura longer. Closing his eyes once more, he allowed Sakura to finish up the last touches. While the auburn haired girl was doing so, she said,

"After you finish your work, do you want to watch us Wolf?" The boy tensed slightly, before saying slightly uncomfortably,

"I might…" Even with his eyes closed he could picture the look of disappointment on Sakura's face, and it really did sting then.

"Please watch us? T-That is, if you want to…." The girl said softly. Wolf could see Sakura, her blushing look of embarrassment, her look of pleading. Apparently it didn't matter anymore if he even could _see _to be persuaded by her puppy eyes.

"I… I'll definitely be watching." Wolf mumbled out. Sakura made a small squeak of excitement.

"Thank you!" Her smile was bright in his mind, burning like fire and refusing to leave. He blushed and mumbled about it being nothing, feeling himself grow increasingly uncomfortable by the minute. It was almost a relief for him when Sakura finished, although that small pang of disappointment had returned in the pit of his stomach as well. Trying to ignore both emotions to the best of his ability the boy thanked Sakura for her work and stood up. As he was about to walk towards the door to find Tomoyo, Wolf caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror across the room.

The teenager did a double take, and peered at the mirror once more, incredulous. In the mirror a boy with narrowed, piercing amber eyes stared back at him, while his face was slightly animalistic and lean. He wasn't scary or horrifying however. If anything, the boy looked _good_. Strong, powerful, unafraid, emotionless.

If Wolf could have been anything like the boy staring back at him now, he would have found _him_ by now. Wolf would have already rescued _him_, and wouldn't have to be searching in little towns with only a photograph outdated by years, and not even a name to match the face. If he could only remember his name, if only he knew, he would be able to find him so much easier!

Shaking his head Wolf turned away from the mirror and walked towards the door. Wishing would do nothing now and only waste time. Opening the door he walked into the hallway, looking around for Tomoyo. Hearing the tinkle of bells coming from the kitchen the boy went in that direction and found her sitting in a chair, eating an apple. Upon hearing the boy's arrival Tomoyo turned swiveled in her chair to take a good look at Wolf. The girl smiled energetically, nodding in approval.

Standing up Tomoyo walked over to Wolf and motioned for him to lower his head. The adolescent male complied and felt her hand rest lightly on top of his head. About to question her act Wolf suddenly felt warmth spread through his face and head, feeling the warmth increase into heat around his ears. Sharp tingles ran lightly through his whole body until suddenly everything stopped, and Tomoyo drew back away from Wolf.

The sudden cold hit Wolf and the boy shivered at the loss of the warmth, at the same time feeling his ears twitch. Curious, the boy gingerly felt around on his head, surprised when he brushed up against something furry. Carefully touching his head, the boy examined his new ears, also turning his head slightly to look at the tail sprouting from his backside. Speechless, the boy turned to look at Tomoyo.

"…Wow." It was the only somewhat intelligent sounding phrase he could say, but Tomoyo simply smiled and gave him a thumbs up sign. Then, the teenage girl pointed towards the direction of her room and made a gesture. After a moment of confusion Wolf understood. Nodding, he turned towards the doorway to head to Tomoyo's room.

"Okay. I'll show Sakura." While walking, the boy reveled in this new experience. Although his hearing was improved only a little his ears were a lot more sensitive than before, and both new appendages twitched almost without command. It didn't feel awkward however; it almost felt as if they had been part of his body all along.

After Wolf had returned to Tomoyo's room and picked up the papers he needed for the job he was to do at the tent's entrance the teenager walked out of the trailer and headed towards the large tent a little ways away from the now hidden trailer. It made sense to hide the trailer after all, in case any questionable people tried to ransack it. Sitting down in the small chair before the tent Wolf took a deep breath and closed his eyes for a moment. Then, opening them again he focused on the string of people that were beginning to arrive early. It was time for his job to begin.

* * *

Once the last straggler bought their ticket and the tent doors were officially closed for the performance start Wolf breathed a sigh of relief. He was finally done, and soon he would be able to go searching in the town. The idea of leaving right away did roll around in his head, tempting him, but whenever he decided to act on that temptation Sakura's face would always flash across his mind, and the boy finally gave up, deciding he would stay for the first set, and then leave after intermission.

Slipping in between the thick curtains of the tent entrance Wolf moved to the utmost side of the tent to watch the performance. All of the audience was now in their seats, and the boy watched as the lights all around the tent began to dim, until complete darkness engulfed the tent. Beads of sweat began to form around Wolf's fists, but the boy calmed his racing heart, telling himself that the dark wasn't induced, wasn't meant to subdue him. It was simply to allow Sakura's light to have more effect. When Sakura did begin dancing however, it came as a great relief for him. This time music accompanied the dancing girl, which enhanced the effect.

Once more the boy watched spellbound by the girl's beauty as Sakura twirled and fluttered on the stage, twisting and turning so gracefully. At one point in Sakura's dance the girl turned to face Wolf's side of the tent, her eyes sweeping over the spectators, as if searching. Then sweeping her eyes upward, amber met jade. Wolf saw her eyes widen a bit, before a tiny smile etched its way onto her face. In that brief moment Wolf was almost certain that smile had been for him and him only. Then Sakura took another dance step, and the contact was broken. The heat in his cheeks however lingered a little longer than eye contact they hade made.

Once she had taken a deep bow to signify her dance was over a deafening roar of approval was heard from the audience, and Wolf was quite glad that the wolf ears and tail had disappeared. It was bad enough that Wolf had enhanced hearing already, and an extra boost certainly wouldn't have helped. Grateful when the hub died down, the boy watched as Sakura spoke to the audience, her voice somehow being magnified all around the tent.

"Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for coming on this wonderful day! We present to you the troupe Feathers, and hope you enjoy the show!" The girl said. A round of applauses was heard following her statement, and then the show began once more. The lights dimmed for a moment, before lighting up once more to reveal three figures on the stage. Upon close inspection, the people were Kurogane, Tomoyo, and Fai. Tomoyo was in her blue outfit, looking stunning and majestic.

Fai wore a golden outfit accented with highlights of deep purple that seemed to fit perfectly on his slim frame, yet gave room to breathe as well. Intricate patterns around his eyes gave the man a kind yet powerful look. Fai simply looked like something royal and heavenly.

If Fai was from heaven however, then Kurogane had certainly come from the deepest pits of hell. The man wore clothes as black as evil, accented by sharp slashes of red, almost appearing to be blood. A tattered black cloak surrounded his body, and fangs had been added to the man's teeth to accent his fierceness. At that moment, Wolf would not have been able to deny that his master was currently anything but a beast.

With the scene set the crowd went eerily silent, and the act began, along with its music. Kurogane lurked slowly and silently in the shadows around Tomoyo. Instead of acting fearful of the beast however, Tomoyo slowly began to dance with him, and before long the two made a beautiful duet, and a story with no words unfolded.

Kurogane, a beast and villain, fell in love with the kind princess Tomoyo who thawed his heart. He vowed to protect her always, and watches over her from the shadows, trying not to stain her pure heart. The princess returns the affection of the villain, and implores him to choose the way of the good, to walk in the light with her. When their happiness together is nearly at hand a suitor, Fai, comes to wed the young princess. The suitor immediately falls in love with the princess, and soon discovers the villain lurking around the princess. Thinking the villain is there to assassinate the princess the suitor draws his sword against the villain, and prepares to kill him.

The villain and suitor engaged in a seemingly vicious battle. The villain however is clearly a much more talented fellow, and the suitor's fate seems to be doomed to death. Then, in the middle of their clashes the princess ran into the room, distressed upon hearing the sounds of fighting. She stumbles directly into the middle of the fight, and the suitor's sword is on a course straight for the princess. The princess can only watch helpless, when suddenly the sword plunges directly into the villain, who sacrifices his life to save his beloved princess. The princess watches in horror as the villain falls, and dies looking in her eyes.

Wolf watched as Tomoyo let out a silent scream of agony, tears streaming down her face as she buried her face in Kurogane's chest while Fai watched on horrorstruck and confused, not understanding what was occurring before him. The music ended in a final tragic note, and the stage curtains fell on them while the clapping of the crowd was heard once more. Wolf let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding, and continued to stare at the stage in awe.

He saw several audience members wiping away tears in their eyes, and the teenager couldn't blame them. It didn't matter the whole story had been told with no words and only dance, it was so powerful and moving as it was. The acting was so fierce and passionate as well; to the point that somewhere during the dance Wolf had forgotten the members of the troupe had even been acting at all. They were truly talented. A pang of unease wormed into the pits of the boy's stomach; would he even be able to help with their performance at all? He was fairly certain that he would never be able to act to this extent at all…

Shaking his head the boy pushed away such thoughts and focused on the next act that was to come. The lights had dimmed once more, but when the curtain came up and the lights went on, Wolf was completely stunned by what he saw. The whole stage appeared to be up in flames, flickering and dancing. The only reason Wolf knew that the scene was fake was because of the lack of smoke tainting the air.

In the middle of the fiery stage two men stood facing each other, each in crouching positions and holding various weapons. While their clothes were not as flashy as the previous performances, Kurogane and Yui still looked very menacing and stunning. Wolf watched with silent awe as the two leaped into the air and performed incredible feats of acrobatics, twisting and cartwheeling in the air yet all the while battling the other. On several occasions however Wolf realized that he recognized some of the sequences in his training with Kurogane and the boy felt suddenly slightly more at ease, knowing that some of these feats he could already attempt to do.

Wolf sighed when the curtain fell once more, and began to feel a twinge of impatience worm into him. When would halftime come? It was a wonderful performance, but even so that could not stop him from longing to search for _him_. Shaking his head, the boy told himself that he would wait. He at least should see the show until intermission, he owed the group that much. Trying to push his feelings of nagging away, Wolf turned once more to focus on the stage, and noticed that suddenly all the audience had gone dead silent. The curtains were already drawn back, and on stage someone Wolf could not see was seated at the piano, while Sakura stood a little ways in front. The stage suddenly seemed incredibly large and empty with just the two of them there, but no doubt everyone's eyes were drawn towards the girl standing in the middle of the floor.

Sakura wore a deep green dress that matched her eyes with black lace falling over the dress in intricate patterns. The dress fell past her feet while its sleeves barely let her fingertips poke out. Black as night makeup danced around her eyes and cheeks, making her eyes and hair stand out more than before. A mysterious air surrounded her, and once again she didn't fail to take Wolf's breathe away. Taking a step forward, the girl took a deep breath, and the song began.

_Take me…_

_Some place… far away._

_Take me…_

_To a true… elsewhere…_

A sharp pain ran through Wolf's head, shooting spikes everywhere. The boy dropped to the ground, clutching his head and feeling the world begin to spin around him. Everything faded around him, nothing existing but Sakura's voice. As Sakura continued to sing, another voice joined in, a voice very familiar… How was it so familiar...? How did he know it? Before long Sakura's voice faded away, and only that voice remained… That voice…

_My first thought…_

_Tsurete itte…_

_Yume no mukou he…_

_Tsurete itte, toki no hate he…..._

* * *

_A warm hand gently patted his hair while a young Wolf sat in her lap listening to the song. He gazed up at his mother in admiration, smiling up at her happily._

"_Mama can sing so well!" Wolf said cheerfully. His mother laughed, and gently tousled the boy's hair. The younger boy next to Wolf nodded vigorously and exclaimed,_

"_Mama's the bestest singer!" The two boys grinned at each other, and both looked up at their mother at the same time. Their mother laughed again._

"_I'm definitely not the best singer! You two are so cute!" She hugged the two boys lovingly, and gazed down at them with affectionate eyes. _

"_Xing-Huo." A voice as cold as ice sliced through the warm air, making Wolf's mother stiffen. The woman turned around slowly to look at the man standing a little ways away. He stared at her with hawk eyes, waiting. The woman gently let go of the two siblings, and smiled at them, although this time the smile was somewhat strained._

"_It's time for you two to go to bed now! Off you go, I have to talk to Daddy now." Xing-Huo hugged her children one last time before they went to bed, this time a little tighter than before. Standing up, she walked over to where the man was, before turning to look at her children once more._

"_Good-night Mama." The boys chorused. Their mother gave an almost sad smile._

"_Good-night Wolf, good-night-_

Wolf came to with a start, snapping out of the memory. He vaguely realized that around him people were clapping, signifying the act was over. That didn't matter though. His eyes were wide, his breath coming in pants. He had remembered. The barrier spell had been broken. He _knew_. He knew the name of the one he was searching for. He knew the name of his brother.

"Syaoran..."

* * *

**End of Chapter 10**

**YAAAAAAHOOOOOOOOOO! THE CHAPTER IS FINISHED! YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSS SSSSSSSSSSSSS! HA HA HAAAAA! Sorry, I had to cut the performance descriptions a little since it was becoming waaaay to long. I'm so happy! It's finally done! MERRY CHRISTMAS! AND OUT OF THE CHRISTMAS SPIRIT, PLEASE REVIEW!**


	11. Fragmented Memories

**Song of the Wolf**

**Chapter Eleven: Fragmented Memories**

**By: Eviltiger**

**Author's note: OWN PLOT AND THAT'S IT! ^_^ THANK YOU ALL YOU LOVELY SOULS WHO REVIEWED! I LOVE YA! MWA, MWAH, KISSES FOR ALL! Sorry, little bit to drunk off Christmas spirit….. Anyway, let's begin! WOW that was **

**FAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA AAAASSST!**

**Ps. **_**These are memories.**_** These are not.**

* * *

"Syaoran…" Wolf breathed out. That was his brother's name. Syaoran. Another sudden wave of pain hit the boy in the back of his skull, making him clutch his head once more. Turning around, the boy stumbled forward, still pressing one hand against his head. Wolf began to make his way unsteadily towards the exit, dimly aware of the audience members around him also getting up from their seats and moving around.

Once reaching the exit the boy stumbled outside, wincing as the strong light of the sun hit his face directly. Walking a little ways away from the tent the boy tried to get as close to the city as he could before the world pitched sideways and Wolf fell backwards. Closing his eyes the teenager breathed in and out slowly, trying to fight the wave of nausea that was threatening to hit him. He didn't have time for this; he had to go searching now!

_The face of his mother was beautiful. Her dark black hair curled in ringlets around her face, while her skin was pure contrasting white. Deep brown eyes held dark treasures in its depths. Whenever she looked at Syaoran and Wolf, however, there would always be a sad twinge in those eyes._

Wolf shook away the memory of his mother and made his decision to move. Grabbing ahold of a tree for support Wolf hauled himself to his feet, and slowly began to make his way towards the heart of Shara once more, determination from the new source of information making him fight the shooting pains in his head. The longer he walked however, the more apparent it was that the curse placed on him was still trying to regain power. Every so often the boy would gain a new memory of Syaoran, while at one point he couldn't even remember his _own_ name.

"_Hey brother, guess what?!" Syaoran said excitedly, jumping up and down. Wolf looked at his brother with kind eyes, and said patiently,_

"_What is it?" Syaoran grinned and stuck his chest out._

"_My birthday's coming up, so I'll be as old as you are!" The boy said proudly. Wolf laughed and shook his head._

"_Silly, you can't be as old as I am because when you get older I'll get older. I'll always be a year older!"_

Wolf shook his head and tried desperately to act normal as he walked into the town square of Shara, looking around for anybody that looked kind enough to talk to him. Spotting an old lady walking across the square with a basket of vegetables the boy headed towards her first. Digging out the photo in his pocket quickly, he accosted the lady.

"U-um, excuse me. Have you seen the boy in this photo? His name is Syaoran, and he's my younger brother by a year." Wolf said as politely as he could, the throbbing in his head intensifying. The woman looked up at him, startled, and then at the photo, before shaking her head.

"I-I'm sorry; I've never seen him before." She said politely, before shuffling away at a fast pace. Wolf was confused by her behavior, before remembering he still had Sakura's paint on his face. Using his hands the boy rubbed it off as best as he could, before continuing on to asking other people about Syaoran.

As the hours passed the throbbing in his head became unbearably severe. The memories once restrained by a curse began to fly in front of his eyes disorganized and randomly. They flashed before his eyes, and occasionally submerged him entirely in it.

_Syaoran and Wolf sat playing in a small room. Their mother was watching over them warmly, and every so often the group would laugh, happy and content._

Wolf shook his head, clearing it temporarily, before looking for someone else to question. The world was starting to spin again, but the boy grit his teeth and carried on.

_Syaoran stood next to Wolf, his eyes wide with worry. The two were in their nightgowns crouching behind their parents' bedroom. They were trying to listen in on the muffled argument without much avail._

"_Hey… Big brother?" Syaoran whispered hesitantly. Wolf turned and looked at his sibling._

"_What is it Syaoran?" Wolf whispered back. Syaoran looked at the door in front of them, and back to Wolf. _

"_Everything is okay, right?" The younger child said worriedly. Wolf smiled and hugged his brother._

"_Of course! Let's go to sleep now, it'll be all good in the morning!" After a moment's hesitation Syaoran nodded._

"_Right!"_

Wolf couldn't remember what he was going to say to the tall burly man in front of him. What was he doing here again? The man twitched, and roared,

"MAKING A FOOL OUTA ME BRAT?!" A fist came hurtling towards Wolf, but he was confused and discombobulated to the point that he couldn't even react to the attack coming his way. Not even able to brace himself the meaty hand was mere inches away before red flashed before the boy's eyes and his whole body felt hot.

The man in front of him yelped and fell back, leaving the boy with a ringing in his ears, heat fading rapidly from his fingers and the slow mind of his desperately trying to process what had just happened.

"What the hell are you?!" The man screamed, staring at Wolf with crazed eyes. The boy slowly became aware that the man's hand was completely burnt black, and fear began to grip his heart. Turning away from the scene Wolf ran away as fast as he could, trying to ignore how much worse that made his head hurt.

His breaths came in gasps as he left the heart of Shara and kept running until he met cool leafy trees. Even then however the boy did not attempt to stop and kept on running, reason having completely left him.

_On the table sat a big fresh bowl of fruit. Wolf took an orange and satisfied himself with that, but Syaoran took any and every strawberry he saw in sight._

"_Hey Syaoran, save some strawberries for mama and dad!" Wolf exclaimed, laughing. The boy looked guiltily at the mountains of the red fruit in his hands, and then reluctantly put two back into the ceramic bowl. _

"_There. One for mama and one for dad and the rest for me!" Syaoran said, grinning widely._

Wolf shook his head, and desperately looked for the familiar white trailer. Where was he? Who was he? Why was he running? Wolf kept running, crashing through the leafy undergrowth and feeling the blood pound in his ears.

"_WOLF! WOLF!" Syaoran screamed, his hands desperately flailing, trying to break free. Wolf ran with all his might, sprinting towards his little brother. He ran and ran, trying to catch up to his brother._

"_SYAORAN! SYAORAAAAAAAAN!"_

A particularly wave of pain hit Wolf, making him fall to his knees and curl in pain. The boy felt shuddering pain upon pain hit him, and the boy sobbed, letting a tears slide down his face. He didn't know where he was. He didn't care. He was losing memories left in right. He didn't care. He was remembering memories left and right. He didn't care. The red exploding in front of his eyes those times, had that been magic? He didn't care.

"_Did you know magic is hereditary? It's passed along the generations, but the ability to control it, and whether you have it or not solely depends on the individual." Sakura commented._

Wolf's tears stopped, the boy's blood running cold. Magic. Hereditary. _That_ man. Could it be? There was no other explanation for the flashes of red, the warm feeling, the man's burnt hand, the gaping hole in the wall. Magic. _His_ face flashed across Wolf's mind like a single shooting star in a pitch black sky. He had magic too, so it made sense that Wolf would have… The boy felt sick.

The world spun around him once more, and the teenager bent over and hurled. To think that he had gotten anything at all from that man was sickening. No, it was beyond sickening. It was beyond disgust. The world kept spinning, not letting him off the ride of his nightmares, and only eventually allowing him to submerge him into the peaceful world of darkness.

_Tsurete itte..._

_Hoshi no hate he_

_My last wish..._

* * *

As Fai waited for his act to come the man took a walk outside the tent for a quick break. Heading towards the trailer the slim blonde began to renew the disguising spell surrounding the troupe's white home. Spotting someone lying on the steps of the door Fai frowned in concern and walked over to the figure. Walking faster concern heightened in him as he realized the figure lying there was passed out. Finally breaking into a light jog Fai reached the unconscious figure.

The man's eyes widened as he recognized the teen. It was Wolf. The boy was passed out face down, his face hidden. Quickly turning the boy over Fai tried to assess the damage and figure out what had exactly happened. Taking the boy's pulse and checking him for injuries, Fai noticed an unnatural fluctuation in heat in the boy. Wolf's body grew hotter and hotter, until Fai couldn't even touch Wolf without getting burned.

Jerking his hand back Fai frowned, before beginning to make a spell to cool the boy off. Crouching towards the boy Fai touched Wolf's forehead with his hand when his eyes widened and the slim man jumped back. On Wolf's forehead and face a black mark began to appear, slowly twisting and growing before it began to take the shape of a black bat. Wolf cried out in pain even while unconscious, writhing around and desperately clawing in the air as if trying to grab something.

Snapping out of his horror Fai immediately moved back towards Wolf and touched the boy's forehead. At once the mark faded and the teenager stopped thrashing around. It all happened so quickly and suddenly it left Fai speechless and doubting if the he had just been imagining that there had been a mark on Wolf. Looking at his hand stained with black, however, the man decided that it had been more than an illusion from exhaustion.

If that was the case, though, that would put Fai in a much more troubled spot. The black bat… His mark… Why did Wolf have it? Looking back at the boy, Fai studied Wolf for a long time; the blonde's ever-present smile long gone, only to be replaced with a much darker and sinister look. The man would definitely have to tell the others about this…

Standing up, the man slowly picked up the boy and gently carried him into the trailer and then into his room. First was first, he would put the boy in his room and give him a calming spell, and when the performance was over the blonde would hold a dinner meeting with the rest of the group, and decide what to do next. Before leaving the trailer Fai glanced back at Wolf's room. A chill went up his spine, while his hands curled slightly into fists. How was Wolf connected to that man?

* * *

**End of Chapter 11**

**Oh my dear lord that was too short, but OH WELL! I DID IT! I COMPLETED THE NEXT CHAPTER BEFORE THE NEW YEAR! THIS IS A RECORD FOR ME! TWO DAYS! AAAAAUGH MY BRAIN IS FRIED! This author shall now go pass out somewhere now. Merry Christmas everyone, and Happy New Year since I doubt I'll post again until well into January… PLEASE REVIEW! PLEASE! Don't I deserve at least that much?**


	12. A Black Bat

**Song of the Wolf**

**Chapter Twelve: A Bat Black**

**By: Eviltiger**

**Author's Note: Sorry it took so long, but here it is! Music- is-**

**LIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIFFF EEEE!**

* * *

When Wolf woke up the pain had disappeared completely. Opening his eyes slowly the teenager shakily sat up in his bed. He was in his room. The boy couldn't remember how he got there. Had he stumbled in the trailer and fallen asleep? All he could remember was bits and pieces of Shara, newfound memories of Syaoran, and pain. Excruciating pain. Even though the feeling had left him the boy still felt slightly dizzy and weak, and he could do no more than sit up in his bed.

While slowly getting reoriented the door to Wolf's room opened, and the boy looked up. A man with blonde hair and a black eye patch was at the door. It took Wolf a few seconds to remember the man before him was Fai. Faking a smile the teenager nodded to the slim man.

"The… the performance was very nice." Wolf said, trying to act as if he had been there the whole time.

Fai nodded, but the man's trademark smile wasn't with him, the boy noticed with a start.

"Thanks."

An odd silence filled the room, and Wolf shifted uncomfortably. Fai was looking at him intently, watching his every move as if he was expecting the teenager to suddenly try and take some kind of drastic measure.

"Felt a little tired after the performance?" Fai questioned suddenly. The man's voice came calmly, but there was something lurking beneath the surface.

"What? Oh, y-yeah, a little." The teenager said, slightly startled.

Fai nodded, and walked into the room slowly. Wolf tried to busy himself by studying the texture of his blanket.

"You must have felt more than a little tired." Fai remarked casually, walking over to where the window was.

"Huh? I mean, did I sleep a long time?" Wolf said cautiously, trying to discern the meaning of the slim man's statement.

"Well, to have passed out next to the steps of the trailer, you surely must have been _very_ tired, no?"

Wolf's eyes widened. He had done that? This new nugget of information came along with a crushing realization: Something had happened then to make Fai suspicious. What had he done?!

"I-I… uh, guess I was really tired huh…" Wolf remarked lamely, trying to cover up his emotions that were raging inside.

Fai studied the boy carefully, saying nothing. His golden eye seemed to pierce the young teenager. Wolf looked up to meet the man's gaze for a moment, before looking away again. Fai turned swiftly to the window once more, and touched his eye patch absentmindedly.

"What you are hiding… could they harm us in any manner?" The tall man said abruptly. He cut through the game of lies, asking Wolf simply.

The teenager's mind raced. How was he to respond to this? The boy searched his mind frantically, when suddenly the image of Sakura stained in crimson flashed across his mind's eye. Giving his head a sharp shake to drive the mental picture and the painful clench in his gut away the boy decided on answering truthfully.

"Not that I know of. There is simply someone I need to find." Wolf said straightforwardly, still trying to release the sudden feeling that had overcome him.

"What do you intend to do when you find that person?"

Again Wolf hesitated, before replying. "I will protect that person at all costs."

Fai turned to glance at the boy again. His expression gave away nothing, his eyes cold and face flat. The man gently touched his eye patch once more, before turning towards the door. Walking to the doorway, the man was about to cross the threshold when a question suddenly popped into Wolf's mind.

"How did you lose your eye?" The teenager suddenly blurted out. Realizing what a rude question it was the boy flushed, and immediately began to apologize.

"Ah, I'm so-"

"It's fine." The blonde man said shortly, cutting off Wolf's apology. The man turned back around once more, but before leaving asked one question.

"…Does the sign of a black bat mean anything to you?" The question was suspiciously light, almost bordering on cheerful.

Wolf shook his head in confusion, while replying, "Uh… No… Not really…" How was the question relevant to anything?

Fai simply smiled and nodded, walking out of Wolf's room. It was only later did Wolf realize that the smile had been forced and faked.

"Then it's alright. You don't need to know."

* * *

Fai closed the door to Wolf's room behind him, before heading down the hallway to meet up with the rest of the group members who were slowly returning from the after duties of the show that were necessary to do. Turning into the kitchen the man saw Sakura sitting in the kitchen, her eyes closed. Hearing Fai come in the teenager turned to face the man. Worry etched her face.

"Is Wolf alright?" Sakura asked anxiously.

Fai looked at the girl for a moment, before smiling warmly. "Yeah, he's just a little tired, that's all."

Sakura's eyes lit up in relief as the girl sighed, smiling softly. "That's good, I'm glad it wasn't anything too serious."

Fai watched as Sakura moved to leave the room and headed off towards where Wolf's room lay. The man made no move to stop her, although a slight frown danced on his face. Turning around the blonde walked out of the kitchen and headed towards the opposite direction Sakura had headed down.

Stopping at a door that was pale blue with two eyes painted on the front Fai walked in with a purpose and closed the door firmly behind him. His twin brother Yui sat in the bed closest to the window, carving a figure out of wood absentmindedly while looking out the window. Upon hearing Fai's arrival the other man turned to smile a greeting. Noticing Fai's expression however, Yui's soft smile vanished completely.

* * *

Wolf was looking out the window of his room when he heard a soft knock on the door. Walking over to the door the teenager hoped with all his might that it wasn't Yui or Kurogane. When the door opened to reveal Sakura relief wasn't the only emotion that Wolf felt. The boy tried hard to suppress the warmth that flooded his chest upon seeing the girl. Nevertheless, he could not stop a small smile from sliding onto his face.

Sakura looked relieved as she saw Wolf's grin, and smiled warmly at the teenager. Feeling warmth flood into his cheeks the boy looked away slightly while trying the whole time to engrave the smile into his mind.

"You're feeling better now Wolf?" Sakura asked with relief still in her eyes.

Said teenager nodded. "Yes, I was just a little tired. I apologize for worrying you."

Sakura blushed and shook her head. "Ah, don't worry about it! I'm just glad you're alright!"

Wolf smiled. Sakura was really a very kind person. Remembering the performance the boy spoke suddenly.

"Oh! I almost forgot! Your performance was very beautiful! Everyone must have loved it a lot!" The teenager exclaimed.

Sakura's blush turned into a deep red while the maiden exclaimed, "R-really? I-I did try my hardest, although I'm afraid I could have sung Clover much better…"

"Clover?" Wolf echoed. Thinking back his mind suddenly painted the memory of Sakura in forest green. "The one where you had the green dress on?"

Sakura looked surprised for a second, before nodding. "Ah, yeah, that one. I sing it at every performance, so I should be singing it better than this…"

"I thought you sang that song very well." Wolf said truthfully, making the other teenager smile shyly.

"T-thanks."

Wolf looked away from Sakura as he remembered the other voice that used to sing that song as well. "How do you know that song?" The boy asked hesitantly.

Sakura smiled softly. "In the city of Clow there is a healer named Clarissa. When I had just been taken in by Feathers I couldn't remember anything, so people avoided me. Clarissa was the only one who talked to me, and even taught me things. Clover was the first song I learned from her."

Wolf nodded slowly. The teenager couldn't quite push down the disappointment that welled in him, but he tried his hardest.

"Oh…Sorry."

Sakura looked at Wolf in confusion. "Why are you sorry?"

"People were so mean to you. You're such a good person. They… They shouldn't… I mean, it…" The boy broke off, groping for words. He couldn't explain what he meant, but he did know that his face was turning redder by the moment.

Sakura looked at the boy curiously for a moment, before letting out a soft giggle, a warm smile on her mouth. Wolf felt the warmth in his chest come back, accompanying the heat in his cheeks. Suddenly realizing that the two were still standing at the doorway after all this time the boy was about to say something when Sakura stepped towards him.

The girl wrapped her arms around Wolf, drawing him into a tight hug and leaving the boy speechless. The slight shade of pink the boy had turned earlier transformed into a beet red. Confused beyond measure Wolf stood there simply frozen for a moment. After a few moments the teenager awkwardly placed his hands on Sakura's back, not knowing what to do.

"Wolf… Thank you." Sakura murmured. The voice was so small, to the point that anybody else without Wolf's senses wouldn't have heard the thanks. Still unsure of what to do the boy simply held the girl, not saying a word. Suddenly Sakura seemed to go limp. Confusion hit the boy harder now, and Wolf looked down, embarrassed.

"Ah… Er, hey?" The boy stammered. Wolf shifted, steady concern rising in him. When no response came from Sakura alarm shot through the boy.

"Hey! Are you okay?!" Wolf lifted Sakura's head slightly to see the girl's eyes closed. She was breathing, but clearly unconscious. Panic welled in the boy. What happened? What was going on?! Quickly scooping the light teenager into his arms Wolf frantically looked around the empty corridors. Where were the others? Carrying Sakura as gently as he could the boy ran down the hallway, holding the teenager tightly.

* * *

"…What happened?" Yui questioned, observing Fai.

The other man said nothing, but sat down and sighed heavily. After a short silence Fai spoke, looking out the window.

"Yui… Beware the boy."

Yui frowned and his eyes narrowed. The piece of wood in his hand was suddenly being treated a little more roughly, the knife cutting with a little less mercy.

"Do you think he's a threat?"

Fai shook his head. "He's not dangerous to us as far as he knows. Kurogane's taken a liking to him as well."

"But?" Yui prompted, the whittling still going on full pace in his hand.

Fai looked away. "He… He might know _that_ man."

This announcement met dead silence. For a while nothing in the room could be heard except for rapid whittling, the knife digging into the poor chunk of wood.

"You didn't want to tell Sakura." Yui said, looking at Fai.

Fai nodded in agreement to that statement. "He's not a threat now, and I don't think he plans to be. All the same…"

"Keep a sharp eye." Yui finished for him. Fai nodded. This time complete silence echoed in the room. Fai watched as Yui looked at the figure in his hands. Making a disgusted noise his blonde twin stood up and tossed the piece of wood outside the window, gently setting the knife on the small desk next to his bed after he had done so.

"I'll be in the woods. I need a new piece of wood." The slim man said calmly before making a hand motion and disappearing in a flash of blue.

Fai nodded and flopped back on his own bed. It was apparent Fai wasn't the only one who would be observing the teen closely from now on. The slim man closed his eyes. While his twin had been trying to hide it, Fai knew exactly what Yui had created. It had been the figure of an oddly shaped bat.

* * *

Wolf ran down the hallway desperately, his eyes wide and scared. He needed to find someone, anyone! Somewhere in the back of his head the boy dimly realized he was running the way towards the bathroom, and coincidentally away from the door leading outside, but the fear and panic overrode all sense of logic.

Making a sharp turn as the layout of the house dictated the boy nearly collided with a tall body. Looking up the boy saw crimson eyes: Kurogane. Surprise was written on the man's face as he looked down at Wolf.

"Sh-Sh-She passed out! What- It's- I-" The adolescent was cut off by a rough hand ruffling his hair. Confused beyond measure Wolf could only stare blankly at Kurogane as he lifted Sakura gently from the boy's arms and transferred the girl into his own.

"She's fine." The tall man rumbled.

Wolf stared at Kurogane blankly, before relief cooled washed like cold water over his face. Still trying to understand what was occurring footsteps came around the corner and Fai appeared from the hallway. His golden eye took in the situation within a second. Nodding understandingly the man smiled.

"It happens occasionally. When we first took Sakura in she fell into unconsciousness a lot, although now it's less common. It's a good thing she was found early." Fai said cheerfully. "Now, let's get our sleeping beauty in her bed, okay Kuro-mii?

Kurogane's eye twitched slightly as he grumbled underneath his breath, but the man still followed Fai down the corridor to where Sakura's room lay. Before he turned the corner however, Kurogane looked back to fix his eyes on Wolf. For a moment the man did nothing but look at the boy. Wolf held his gaze, saying nothing. After a moment the tall man simply nodded, and shifting Sakura slightly in his arms continued to walk away. Wolf waited until the footsteps had receded into soft thumps before letting out a sigh of relief.

Walking down the once again empty hallway the boy walked through the still open door to his room. Closing the door firmly with a soft click a replay of everything that had just occurred struck the teenager. Overwhelmed the boy sat down on the floor, looking out the window. A sudden thought struck the boy, making him turn a deep red. Sakura smelled like cherry blossoms.

* * *

**End of Chapter Eleven**

**Woohoo! I finished it! Sorry for making you guys wait! I'm glad I'm finally able to start sneaking in fluff… XD Fun fact: Clarissa was actually created on a whim, but she actually will turn out to be a major role in the future! SO PLEASE REVIEW! REVIEWS ARE A WRITER'S FUEL!**


	13. Changes

**Song of the Wolf**

**Chapter Thirteen: Changes**

**By: Eviltiger**

**Author's Note: Sorry for the wait everyone! Own nothing but the storyline, etc. Thank you for always reading and reviewing everyone! I am so grateful! Happy Late Valentine's Day! I love you-**

**AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAALL!**

* * *

The following day Wolf had just finished changing from his sleeping clothes when the door to his room opened. Wolf looked up and found Kurogane standing in the doorway. The teenager's surprise must have been written all over his face, for the older man cocked an eyebrow and appeared faintly amused. Flushing slightly in embarrassment the boy quickly uttered a greeting.

"Good morning sir! Is training starting early today?"

Kurogane nodded his greeting while replying. "We have a group meeting right now, so training will start a little later."

Wolf nodded slowly, trying not to let his disappointment show. If the group had a meeting, then it was understandable he'd have to wait. The boy couldn't deny that he enjoyed learning things under Kurogane's supervision though.

"Ah, I see. I'll meet you out later then."

The tan man frowned and looked at Wolf oddly, as if the teenager was stupid.

"We're having a group meeting." Kurogane said the sentence slower this time, as if making sure Wolf heard every syllable.

Confusion prickled in Wolf. He'd already heard that quite clearly, that's why he was waiting wasn't he?

"I know..." The boy said hesitantly, unsure what Kurogane's restatement meant.

"Then hurry up." Kurogane said slightly annoyed, motioning to where the kitchen was.

"Wai-what?" Wolf stammered, now exceptionally confused.

Kurogane sighed, clearly annoyed now. "**Group** usually means **everyone**, no? Now get your ass into the kitchen!"

The teenager leapt up and scurried to his doorway almost on instinct to Kurogane's order. It wasn't until the boy was walking down the hallway still at a quick pace did he realize the full implications of Kurogane's words. Group meeting. The kitchen. Kurogane considered _him_ part of the group.

The sudden realization nearly made the boy stop walking. He wasn't part of the group. He had told himself he never could be. Part of the boy wanted to turn around and run back to his room fast, before they reached the kitchen. He knew he couldn't get involved with them, that living with them was only temporary. He knew he would have to leave them the moment he found Syaoran; he knew he couldn't trust them. He knew all that. But he still walked forward.

By the time Wolf reached the kitchen the teenager was so entangled up in his thoughts that he barely was aware of his surroundings. He didn't notice Fai look up from the group to utter a greeting to Kurogane, only for the slim man to stop mid-sentence upon seeing Wolf. The boy didn't notice the silent exchange between Kurogane and Fai; Fai's gaze holding mistrust for Wolf as the blonde looked at Kurogane questioningly, Kurogane's gaze firm and steady, almost daring Fai to challenge him.

Sakura's greeting finally brought the boy back to the ground and both men from their silent conversation.

"Good morning Wolf." The teenager said, smiling brightly.

"Good morning. Are… Um… you… that is… how are… Er…" Wolf felt himself turn redder and redder as he fumbled for the right words to say, still embarrassed from yesterday, yet concerned whether the girl was alright or not.

The whole time Sakura watched Wolf questioningly, but eventually she understood what the boy was trying to say, and smiled brightly.

"I'm fine, thanks!"

Wolf ducked his head and mumbled incoherent words. How Sakura was this amazing was a mystery of life. It came as a relief when the rest of the group greeted Kurogane and him, however, so that he didn't have to dwell on the embarrassing conversation.

As they all became settled down it became apparent that this kind of meeting was a regular occurrence, as it started without much of a formal introduction.

"Sakura, for the first half, you nailed the opening dance, but Clover could have been better." Yui commented to the jade eyed girl.

Sakura nodded in confirmation. "I slipped up in the second half of the song. I thought your acrobatics with Kurogane was very good, but in the second half your dance with Fai seemed a little tense and strained, and your magic seemed to have slipped once or twice."

Fai nodded in consent, saying, "I thought so too, I just wasn't focused enough. Hey, Kuro-sama, our three way dance in the first half wasn't too bad, no?"

"Yeah, that was better than usual. You need to work on your singing skills though, half the crowd must have gone deaf from that note you squeaked out in your duet with Sakura."

Fai laughed. "Ah, true, true. Your acting skills still need lots of help though!"

Wolf watched as the exchange went on, the group evaluating the performance and telling each other the things they needed to work on. The boy could feel the family aura surrounding them, just like at the time in the woods when the group was traveling by foot to Shara. This time however, Wolf didn't feel excluded. Even though the boy wasn't talking, it was as if he was part of the family, part of the whole. It felt nice.

Then Sakura suddenly turned to Wolf. "How do you think we did Wolf?"

Every face was now turned at Wolf as the boy stammered, "Ah, I-I really think you all di great. You guys are… really amazing." He said clearly, genuine respect in his voice. They really were something else.

Sakura smiled. "Thanks! But the next performance, you're going to be in it too!"

Wolf did a double-take. He knew he was being trained by Kurogane, but so soon? His amazement must have been quite clear on his face, for Sakura giggled slightly. The teenage boy turned to his mentor for confirmation, receiving a small head nod from Kurogane.

"We should probably decide soon what role you will play in our future performance. If you're good enough at what you do, you may be the main part, be it as you are new and all." Yui explained.

Wolf stared at the man dumbfounded while his twin added on, "You're acrobatics are steadily improving, so it's most likely you'll be mainly with our acrobatic section, but if you show any musical ability you might have roles in that area as well."

Wolf nodded slowly, not failing to notice how Fai left out anything about the magic section.

"That being said, over the next week we'll asses your ability, and then see what kind of show we can put you in. Kuro-mii will be in charge of determining your best skills. Any objections?" Fai said with a grin.

Wolf shook his head. "No, none."

"Good." Kurogane rumbled. "Let's get started then." With that the man stood up and headed towards the kitchen doorway, motioning for Wolf to follow him. The boy stood up quickly and went after his teacher, noticing how the man's actions seemed conclude the end of the meeting.

* * *

"Alright. Your quick reflexes and good senses are your assets, which is why we should play those up as best as we can. Your strength isn't the greatest, but your speed isn't bad. You can do certain acrobatic sequences as well, which is a plus." The man summed up for the boy once the two were outside the trailer.

Wolf nodded in understanding. "So we need a show that plays up my strengths and hide my weaknesses."

Kurogane grunted. "Yeah, that's the gist of it. For today we should work on your strength, and only lightly pass over reflexes and sensory combat, in case we still need to use your weaknesses for the next performance."

Wolf nodded once more. "Let's get started."

* * *

A couple hours later lunch was called and the two headed back in to the trailer, Kurogane to the kitchen, Wolf to the shower. While Kurogane's eyebrows rose slightly upon seeing the boy veer off and head down the hallway towards the shower room the man said nothing, although a slight frown became present on his face.

As Wolf walked down the hallway the boy spotted a blonde haired man coming out of the room he shared with his twin. Noticing Wolf, Fai smiled in a supposedly friendly manner but Wolf wasn't fooled again. He saw the suspicion in the man's eye. Thinking back on the past day the boy made a decision and walked towards the man purposefully.

Fai looked surprised as Wolf stopped directly in front of the slim man, although Wolf couldn't tell if the man was simply feigning his emotion or not.

"Something wrong Wolf?" Fai asked curiously, although the guarded, suspicious look in his eye didn't fade away.

Taking a deep breath the boy looked straight into Fai's golden eye, facing all the emotions that accused him inside those depths.

"Sometimes… Well, twice actually, something strange has happened." Wolf confessed steadily.

"Strange?" Fai echoed softly.

"Yeah. My hands would feel hot… and then there would be this flash of red. Afterwards, a man had been burned where he had grabbed me… and… and a wall had exploded."

"And you think it could be magic." Fai stated, drawing the conclusion.

Wolf nodded. "I think it is."

"All right, tomorrow Yui and I will see if you have any magical ability. Once we find out for sure we'll work out the future plans later." The man said coolly, although Wolf could tell that someone had changed in his manner.

Wolf remained looking into Fai's eye and nodded. "Thanks."

With that both males walked past each other. Wolf had only walked a little ways before Fai's voice made the boy stop.

"Why did you tell me this?" It was an upfront, straight question. Wolf replied with full honesty, voice echoing with determination.

"You don't trust me, you never did, except since yesterday you haven't tried to hide it anymore. I promise I will never purposefully bring harm to any of you, but I don't think you'll just believe my words. That's why I'm telling you all I can, so you can believe me. That's all." With that the boy walked down the hallway and rounded the corner to the head towards the bathroom, not expecting or waiting for an answer.

Fai stood there standing in the hallway looking back at where Wolf had been, before turning to look at Kurogane leaning against the kitchen entryway.

"That's why I like that kid." The tan man rumbled, before turning around and heading towards the kitchen, leaving Fai alone in the hallway.

The blonde haired man swore he had heard not only amusement, but a touch of pride in the other man's voice.

* * *

**End of Chapter 13**

**Sorry it took so long! I just truthfully didn't want to write… We have a snowstorm coming our way apparently! REAL snow, for the first time this whole winter! Yay! Psst, review please!**


	14. A Haunted Man

**Song of the Wolf**

**Chapter Fourteen: A Haunted Man**

**By: Eviltiger**

**AN: I'm very ashamed of myself. I apologize to all my patient readers and I am determined that such a long wait will never happen again. I am co-authoring a writing collaboration with someone and it consumed most of my writing time, to the point that I forgot about my FF stories. I sincerely apologize- I promise to write more for this series! Thank you for sending me a complaint review- that really spurred me on to write more!**

**SOOOOOOOORYYYYYYYYYYYY! **

* * *

_A black bat swirled in all directions, expanding and twisting horrifically. No matter how far Fai ran it wasn't far enough. The black bat was always there, ready to torment him._

_ 'Trying to escape? Little pest.' A male voice boomed, his cruel face appearing out of nowhere._

_ 'N-No! Go away!' Fai shouted, trembling in fear and panic._

_ The face did nothing of the sort, merely extending out a large hand surrounded by the black emblem to snatch the slim man up. Fai moaned, cradling his head, when a high pitched giggle reverberated around the darkness._

_ 'Silly Fai. You will never escape. Die already! Die, so we can be together again! We'll help you!'_

_ Tears streamed down Fai's face as he could only sob helplessly and babble to the other voice._

_ 'I'm so sorry! I'm so sorry! Please, leave me alone! I should have died!'_

_ The high pitched voice grew icy sharp and swelled in magnitude. 'You're right. You SHOULD have died instead!' As quick as her voice grew louder however, it faded away, a sickly sweet lilting tone in her voice. 'But that's okay. I'll forgive you. If you die and bring Yui here too, I'll forgive you. Wouldn't you like that Fai? Not even another teensy experiment from this man if you die right now with Yui.'_

_ Fai started screaming, his head pounding even more as images of Yui at the hands of Fei Wong Reed flashed across his eyes._

'_NO! YUUUUI!'_

Fai woke with a start, gasping as if he had run a mile. Sweat streamed down the man, his eyes wide and his whole body trembling. With inhuman speed Fai whipped his head over to his twin's bed. Yui was still there, sleeping soundly and peacefully. Breathing a shaky sigh of relief the man gulped in another mouthful of air and rested his body against the wall his bed was up against. Everything was fine. Everything was fine.

**_'Good morning Fai. Did you have sweet dreams?'_** A simpering voice asked- the same voice from Fai's nightmare. The same voice which had tormented him ever since that fateful day.

Whimpering softly Fai curled up into a small ball, hands coming up to grab his golden hair. No. Nothing was fine. Nothing at all.

* * *

Just before noon arrived, the agreed time when Fai and Yui would test his magical capabilities, Wolf made his way to a door with an elaborate sword painted on it. It was quite well drawn, the blade almost seeming to gleam as if created from actual steel. The boy's knuckles were a moment away from the wood when the door opened on him, causing Wolf to nearly stumble forward in surprise. Kurogane stood at the entryway, his sharp eyes analyzing Wolf.

"What?" The tall man rumbled, waiting for his Wolf's response. The boy fidgeted slightly. He really didn't know how to start what he was about to say. He didn't even really know _what_ he wanted to say.

"Er… Well… today Fai and Yui are testing me in my magical skill…" Wolf began slowly.

"And?"

"Um… I wanted to… well, I mean… I-I'm your student…right?"

Kurogane's eyebrows arched questioningly, his response while firm, held small confusion as to where this conversation was going.

"Yes. And?"

"Then can… am I still allowed to learn under you?" Wolf said in a rush, embarrassed slightly. He didn't know why, it just felt like he was… betraying Kurogane by letting Fai and Yui teach him. It was silly really. Really silly. Kurogane must be annoyed.

Looking down the boy was about to dash off when a large hand roughly mussed his hair. Wolf's eyes flew up to his teacher's face, to find the tall man grinning in a smirking kind of way, yet there was a sort of odd warmth in his face. This was a look Wolf had never encountered before. Shocked the teenager could only look on dumbfounded as Kurogane replied.

"Don't get full of yourself! You still have a long way to go under my training!" The man said, before walking out of his room towards the kitchen. The teenager was frozen, unable to comprehend what had just occurred. Shock overpowered him. Seeing Wolf still rooted to the floor Kurogane looked back over his shoulder.

"Get moving, or the twin idiots will get antsy."

"Y-Yes, sir!" Snapping back into reality Wolf sprinted down the hallway while Kurogane leisurely walked towards the kitchen. As Wolf was opened the door the shock slowly started to melt away, something else taking its place. Warmth spread through him, a grin splitting onto the boy's face without him even realizing it so.

"Thank you sir." Wolf said in a small voice. It was low, but loud enough for the tall man to hear.

Kurogane stopped for a split moment, saying nothing. Later Wolf would wonder if the man really _did_ stop, and it wasn't just something he had imagined. The tall man shrugged and continued walking on.

"I don't see why you're thanking me. Now scram."

Wolf complied, a smile on his face.

* * *

If Wolf had been smiling before, now he most certainly was _not_. The mood the boy felt from the moment he walked out of the door was heavy and stifling, even though it was sunny day outside. The twins had their heads bent close together and whispering quickly between themselves, most likely the cause for the teenager's sudden discomfort. It didn't help that when Wolf made his presence known by purposefully snapping a twig near him both Fai and Yui's heads snapped up like lightning to immediately train their eyes on Wolf.

Wolf was decidedly very disturbed by the look on Fai's face. Yui had the simple presence of being concerned, but Fai's expression was completely different. The man looked haggard, pale, and definitely worried. His eyes looked almost slightly wild, and if Wolf were to be closer, he might have sensed the waves of anxiety and fear rolling off the man.

Looking down as to avoid their gaze Wolf waited as the two resumed their conversation. The teenager shifted uncomfortably for a moment while Fai hurriedly finished whispering something to Yui, Yui replying sharply and shortly. Wolf tried his hardest to block out all sound at the moment, not wanting to intrude on their clearly private conversation. Then Fai turned to face Wolf again, waving his hand and smiling a wide smile. A wide _fake_ smile, so fake it was painful. It almost came as a relief that Yui was expressionless, showing his true feelings.

"Hey Wolf! Come on over!" The golden eyed man called out.

The boy nodded hesitantly before jogging over, stopping when he was just in front of the twins. Yui nodded his greeting to the teenager and Wolf sensed that Yui would be the one mainly explaining.

"Let's start off with the basics- do you have any knowledge of magic whatsoever?" Yui questioned Wolf.

The boy thought for a moment, trying to recall anything besides the most obvious points of magic. After a moment Wolf shook his head. "Nothing really."

Yui nodded. "I thought as much. What you need to know I'll explain then."

Something struck the boy as odd and Wolf frowned slightly. Noticing the boy's sudden silence Yui observed Wolf closely.

"Something wrong?"

"…You already knew I had magical ability." The teenager said steadily, looking up at the blue-eyed blonde.

While Yui's face remained passive and apathetical, something flickered underneath the surface of the ocean eyes.

"What knowledge do you draw this conclusion from?" He said levelly.

Wolf's gaze never wavered from the man's eyes.

"You didn't even test to see if I had any true ability before jumping in to teaching me the basics of magic."

There was a tense silence following Wolf's words, before a smile flashed its way onto Yui's face. The smile was frigid but the slightest amusement danced in the man's eyes.

"Observant I see. Yes, we already knew. I had my suspicions from the moment you hesitated before denying ever having been in an unexplainable situation."

Startled, Wolf looked at Yui slightly taken aback. He had been that transparent all this time? Yui smiled softly and answered the question on the boy's mind.

"Don't worry- it was only a suspicion at first- but the magical signature that followed you confirmed it."

"Magical signature?" Wolf echoed, confused.

"Magical… Magical signatures are how magicians can tell if others are magic users as well… Well trained magicians can not only see magical signatures at will but also hide their own. Every magic user has a different signature. For example, yours… is a pulsating fiery red. Yui's is a flowing light blue." Fai explained liltingly and in a hollow voice. Wolf couldn't help but shiver as Fai's eyes bore into the teenager, searching for something almost.

"I see." Wolf said, nodding quickly to rid himself of his unease. Still, he couldn't shake the feeling Fai was hiding something from him. Then again, he supposed he also was hiding a few things from them as well- things he could never say to anyone.

"Well, going back to our original flow of conversation, first I must ask you a few questions. Then we'll move on from there." Yui commented smoothly, directing the talk back to their original topic and the attention off of Fai.

Feeling slightly embarrassed to be the one that had led the topic off its original course Wolf bobbed his head quickly with determination in his spirit.

"Let's start then."

"Excellent. First, the times you displayed magical ability- was your state of mind confusion? Were you in a danger of some sorts?"

Wolf did not have to hesitate on that question. Nodding, he spoke, although he was careful not to speak too much about the wall incident. The twins were sharp and if he lingered on the memory they would most likely be able to sense something was amiss.

"Yes. Both times I was in a tight situation and I couldn't think clearly. The second time there was an actual danger, while during the first I was just in a desperate state of mind."

Yui nodded, while Fai seemed to force himself to ask the second question.

"You still remember the experience… but do you have any holes in your memory? Any brief blackouts?"

"No… I'm pretty sure I don't." Wolf replied, shaking his head. "There would be this flash of red across my vision, but it wasn't like I had blacked out or anything though."

"Let's see… Final question: When your magical abilities went out, did you feel any different? Say, your eyes feeling tingly, your feet feeling numb?" It was Yui again.

Wolf was about to shake his head when he remembered the sudden temperature change that occurred both times with his hands.

"Well… my hands would suddenly become a lot hotter and then immediately afterwards they would cool back down to their normal temperature." The boy said slowly, not knowing if he had just been imagining such or if that was an actual sign.

After this tidbit of information Yui looked satisfied with the question, while Fai still stared with a slightly blank stare at Wolf. Discreetly nudging Fai the man's twin looked at Fai briefly.

"He's probably that type then?"

Fai made a slightly distracted noise of agreement while Yui turned to look at Wolf.

"Let us explain. There are many different types of magic users in the world. The main ones are the Spellcastor, Dreamseers, and Elemental kinds. Fai and I have are Spellcastors- we use a type of magic that can vary from forming attacks to making the dishes do themselves. One 'spell', however, must be practiced over and over. The second kind is what Tomoyo is- a Dreamseer. Dreamseers usually don't have the ability to control their power, unlike the Spellcastors. They have premonitions of the future, flashes of inner sight-

"The ability to see the dead… people's true feelings and the like." Fai interjected for clarification.

"-and a good sense of danger." Yui finished. "Finally, the Elementals. We believe you are an Elemental."

Wolf nodded once, listening intently to the explanation.

"Elementals are all over the board. Some receive full control with ease, while others will never be able to use their power freely. Elementals usually are manipulators of one aspect- light, dark, water, fire, cobwebs, flowers and so forth."

"We believe your aspect is fire- for… obvious reasons." Fai finished off at Yui's look. "What we want to do now is test whether or not you will ever be able to use your power at will."

The huge weight of information on his brain was dizzying. Taking a moment to process all the information just given to him the boy nodded slowly, before a question suddenly popped into his mind.

"Is Sakura also a Dreamseer?" The boy asked curiously.

At the mention of Sakura Fai seemed to lighten up a fraction of an amount, although he still had that odd expression on his face.

"We were actually hoping you would ask that." Yui said with a quirky smile.

"Sakura is not a Dreamseer." Fai said calmly. "She is a very rare kind of magic user actually."

Wolf looked at the twins, curious but desperately trying not to show it.

"So what kind is she?"

"Sakura is a Wingdae." The twins said together.

"A Wingdae?" Wolf echoed confusedly.

Fai nodded, his eyes glazing over as if reciting something. "Wingdaes are a very different type of magic user. No one is very sure of the full range of their abilities- Wingdaes can never control their power. However, it is known that Wingdaes can show the characteristics of Dreamseers, Spellcastors and Elementals. They also have one crucial concept of magic no other users have."

"And that is?" Before Wolf had known it, he was hanging on to Fai's every word, wanting to know more.

"The ability to heal." Yui said simply.

Noting Wolf's confused expression Fai smiled weakly with a lot of effort.

"Oh, not the kind of healing you're thinking of- they can do physical healing as well I suppose, but Wingdaes are famous for a different type of healing. The healing of the soul."

Wolf was quiet for a few moments, amazed by the power of the Wingdaes. It was almost as if he was in a quiet, peaceful trance. Coughing quickly the boy cleared all thoughts of Sakura out of his head and pointedly regained his determined look.

"R-right. So… you were talking about testing to see whether my power is useable?"

Taking a small glance at his twin Yui responded.

"Right, this is where it will get a little tricky…"

* * *

As the boy closed his eyes Yui risked a chance to look over at his twin. Something had been bothering Fai greatly ever since the morning, it took no genius to figure that out. Starting up a mental link with his twin Yui reached out to his brother, startling the man.

**'_Fai, are you okay?'_**

**'_What?! Oh, Yui. Yes, yes, I'm fine!'_ **The response was tense and high-pitched, making Yui frown.

**'_Do you want to call it off and do this another day? You don't look good.'_**

**'_I'm fine, I'm fine! Don't worry, let's just hurry up okay?'_**

Frowning Yui sighed slightly, before relenting and ending the link.

"Alright…"

* * *

Cold ravaged the boy. Snow was everywhere, covering the landscape and making it impossible to see. Chattering and shivering Wolf curled himself tightly into a ball, trying to conserve as much warmth as possible. It wasn't working.

"_We're going to have to try and force you to use your magic- which means putting you in a situation where you perceive yourself in danger. Don't worry, it won't be real. Fai and I will encase you in a mental barrier with the illusion that you are in a place that might force out your power. Since we think you have the ability of fire, we will put you in a cold situation- fire's opposite. Good luck."_

Yui's words rang in the boy's ears and Wolf struggled to remind himself that the frigid landscape was not real. Everything was simply an illusion. Yet… he felt so cold. So mind-numbingly cold. The snow seemed to engulf him, surround him, and he could almost feel a candle inside him start to flicker out.

Suddenly ice seemed to run through his veins and Wolf cried out in pain. He was being consumed by cold! Try and keep warm! Something, anything! Pain, mind-racking pain! Must do something! Fire! Create fire! ...Create… fire… create… need to…

Cold.

* * *

Something was wrong. Yui frowned, looking at the barrier that surrounded Wolf and the boy curled on the ground. The barrier was off. Why did it feel so frigid? Something was very wrong. Closing his eyes Yui tried to assess the boy's mental state, just to reassure himself that everything was alright. There was no mental state. Alarmed, Yui quickly turned his head over to look at his twin. How did this happen?

"Fai, the boy's unconscious-!" The man's blood ran cold as he caught sight of his twin. Fai's eyes were devoid of light and hollow, focused in on Wolf's limp form. Blue coursed through his hands- the wrong kind of blue. Too much, too strong, that kind of magic not only affected the mind- Fai was slowly starting to kill the boy!

"FAI!" Wrenching free of the mind link Yui pushed Fai away from the defenseless boy with all the man's might, bright blue bands slamming the man to the ground and keeping his arms and legs in check- magical restraints. After a brief moment Fai's eyes suddenly snapped back into reality, wide and slightly confused, with fear predominant. Yui did not pay attention to his brother however.

Yui checked Wolf quickly assessing his vital stability. The boy was still unconscious, his heart rate slow and his entire body feeling like ice. Quickly pressing a palm to the teenager's chest Yui focused slow warm energy into his hand, allowing the counter magic to slowly enter the boy's veins. It was only after Wolf was in a stable condition did Yui cut off the warm energy, letting Wolf's own magic work its way and tend to the boy. That was when Yui rounded on Fai.

"WHAT WERE YOU DOING?!" Yui roared at his twin. "YOU COULD HAVE KILLED HIM!"

Fai trembled under the burning gaze of his twin, his lips moving but no sound coming out. It was almost as if the very ground had turned upside down, the situation was so bizarre and unfamiliar to him. Trying to calm down Yui spoke again, his hands shaking,

"What… in the name-"

"I saw that mark again!" Fai blurted out, his eyes wide, frantic, pleading. "Yui I saw the mark of the black bat, I swear I did!"

"The black bat?!" Yui could barely contain his anger. "What's going on with you?! Fai, you nearly killed the boy! He didn't do anything yet! How can you be so sure that it was the black bat?! What proof do you have?!"

"It was, it was exactly like the time when he was burning up, I swear it was I saw it in his head Yui please listen to me-"

"I am listening Fai! And frankly, I think you're insane right now! What's going on?!"

Fai lips moving soundlessly once more, his eyes wide and scared. Gritting his teeth Yui stepped back from his brother and slowly took a deep breath, stabilizing his anger and panic. What in the name of heavens was going on?!

"Why are you so scared Fai? What's going on?" Yui asked with a forced calm. This was not right. Fai never acted like this.

Slowly the bonds around Fai released its grip and the trembling man sat up shakily. Fai then stood shivering, holding himself tightly.

"I…I…"

"What's going on?!" Sakura voice exclaimed. The young girl clomped down the stairs of the trailer awkwardly before rushing towards Fai and Yui, immediately being followed by Tomoyo and Kurogane.

"What the hell?"

"Is everyone okay? Wolf? Wolf?!"

Taking a shaky step back from the oncoming crowd Fai looked at Yui with wide, confused and scared eyes.

"I…I!"

"Go."

Fai's head snapped up. "What?"

"Go." Yui said levelly. "Cool your head off. Calm down. I'll tell the group something. Just get out of here."

"I-"

"Go!"

Turning around, Fai half stumbled into a swirling blue. Within moments, the man was gone.

* * *

Deep in the forest Fai sat curled up into a ball, rocking slightly. What had just happened? What was going on? He hadn't meant to do that- he hadn't!

"_What's going on with you?!"_

"I don't know." Fai whispered. "I didn't mean to do it, I don't know what's going on, I didn't mean to do it!"

**'_Why lie to yourself?'_** The gentle voice crooned. Fai buried his face in his arms, sobbing.

"Go away! Leave me alone! Please!"

**'_But it's your own fault you know.'_**

"Leave me alone!" The black bat burned into Fai's mind, old scars tingling and painful memories swirling around. "Leave me alone! Chii!"

The man stayed there well after night fell, sobbing until he could cry no more.

* * *

**End of Chapter 14**

**Done finally! Once again, apologize for the wait! I have finals coming up so there will be no more even attempt at writing for one more week, but then summer will be here for me and I will be back in full swing! THANK YOU FOR YOUR PATIENCE!**


	15. Comfy Beds and Aftereffects

**Song of the Wolf**

**Chapter Fifteen: Comfy Beds and Aftereffects**

**By: Eviltiger**

**Author's Note: Thank you for the reviews everyone! It's good to know this story hasn't been forsaken just yet. XD I apologize in advance for the slightly confusing layout of this chapter- any questions feel to review/PM the questions to me. **

**To set the twins straight, FAI is the twin the Tsubasa gang met and knew in the original manga series, while YUI is the twin that died in the tower in the original series. Hope that clears up confusion.**

**Summer. Has.**

**ARRIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIVED!**

**Note: **Present Time. _Memories._

* * *

Sakura woke up to a generally feeling of warmth and comfortableness. Confused, the girl slowly sat up. She had been determined to watch over Wolf, so the teenager could not recall ever going to her own bed… and she certainly never remembered falling asleep in a bed not her own! Looking down at the bed Sakura flushed red upon realizing she was actually in Wolf's bedroom, sleeping in the other teenager's bed.

In the middle of her confused revelations the door softly opened to reveal a slim teenager with messy brown hair and warm amber eyes. Upon noticing Sakura was awake the Wolf gave a shy crooked smile.

"Good morning. It's still pretty early."

Sakura's heart skipped a small beat at seeing the boy's smile, but the teenager's confusion at the moment overrode her happiness.

"G-good morning. But… what am I doing in your bed?" The jade-eyed girl squeaked, embarrassment flushing on her face.

"Oh, you were asleep in that chair when I woke up you see," Wolf said shyly, embarrassed as well, "Since I was thirsty and sleeping in chairs can't very pleasant, um…" The boy trailed off and an awkwardly embarrassed silence hung over the two, although Sakura couldn't help but blush with a little happiness as well.

Suddenly remembering why she had been at Wolf's bedside in the first place however, Sakura shot up from the bed, exclaiming,

"Ah! That's right; I shouldn't be the one resting! Wolf, how are you feeling! Are you okay?!"

"Huh?! Oh! Yeah, don't worry about me, I'm fine!" Wolf stammered, at the same time rushing forward to stop Sakura from pitching forward as the girl realized she didn't have the support of her leg brace. Grabbing the brace from where Sakura had propped it against the wall the day before the boy handed it to the girl as Sakura.

"Thank you." The teenage girl said softly, accepting the brace and slowly starting to buckle it back to her bad leg again. As she buckled the girl talked.

"It's good that you're feeling better, I was really worried because you didn't look good at all! Yui didn't tell me anything and Fai had disappeared as well! What had happened?" She questioned the boy, her eyes wide with concern and curiosity. She watched as Wolf hesitated for a fraction of a second, before smiling and replying.

"Well, it was actually just an accident with the magic- I went out of control and hurt myself in the process. I think Fai may have thought it was his fault or something, I don't really know. Nothing like that should happen again, sorry for worrying you." The amber eyed boy said reassuringly.

Sakura nodded slowly, a small frown on her face. Something was… off. Pushing those thoughts into the back of her mind the teenager chose to ignore the feeling of nagging worry in the pit of her stomach and smiled at the boy.

"I see… Thank goodness you weren't seriously hurt!"

* * *

-*Say Wolf, would you want to learn how to make hot cocoa?*-

Yui had heard all he needed to know. Relaxing while breathing a sigh of relief, the slim man ended the listening charm and allowed the two teenagers to have their conversation privately from now on. Leaning back the male shook his head, mystified, but relieved all the same for two reasons. One, Wolf had finally woken up. And two, Wolf had lied to Sakura.

'_What the hell?!'_

'_Is everyone okay? Wolf? Wolf?!'_

_Tomoyo rushed over to the curled over teenager as Sakura sat down next to ebony haired girl, watching Tomoyo as she started to check Wolf's vital signs. Her jade eyes were filled with worry and fear as she waited for the healer of the group to finish examining the boy._

"_It's alright Tomoyo; he's going to be fine now." Yui assured the girl when the Dreamseer's head snapped up, eyes filled with alarm and small confusion. "The boy is just going to need rest."_

_Nodding slowly Tomoyo backed off while the rest of the Feathers group watched as Yui struggled to maintain a calm face and picked up Wolf, carrying the nearly frozen boy to his room. In truth however, Yui was more than greatly concerned on the inside. Wolf's inner magic was not stabilizing him as well as the man had hoped; instead somewhat resisting Yui's counter to Fai's harmful magic and letting Fai's magic wreak havoc. At this point the man alone could do nothing to help Wolf. Biting back a curse Yui walked over to Sakura who stood outside the boy's door, putting on a comforting smile. That was when an idea hit him._

"_Hey, Sakura… would you mind staying with Wolf for a little while, just to watch over him?" Yui asked, betraying no fear for the boy's life or any desperation for his plan to work in his voice. Sakura nodded immediately. _

"_No problem, I'll stay with him until he wakes up!" The girl then proceeded to walk into Wolf's room, oblivious to the obvious relief that flashed across Yui's face. No one ever responded poorly to Wingdae magic- whether the Wingdae was releasing their magic purposely… or subconsciously. _

_Relieved on that note Yui walked into the hallway and began bracing himself for the looming threat that had waited until Sakura and Tomoyo were out of the way to appear. Kurogane stood in the middle of the hallway, his eyes as sharp as flint. Wearily, Yui mouthed 'outside' to the man, before walking past Kurogane as if nothing were wrong. Kurogane followed the man with a frostily calm air. It unnerved Yui quite a bit._

_When they were well into the middle of the clearing Yui waited patiently for Kurogane to strike. He did not have to wait too long._

"_Now would you mind telling me why my student is lying unconscious?" Kurogane's accusation was stung like steel while Yui turned readily to face the man._

"_It was an accident. …I won't lie to you. Fai was sleep deprived and accidentally perceived Wolf as a threat." The man said as calmly as he could. Not exactly the complete truth but Yui could already feel Kurogane's wrath. There was no way in hell he would tell that man the actual reason for his twin's attempted murder._

_Kurogane clenched his hand into a fist quickly, his eyes narrowing. "Fai did that to him?"_

"_Unintentionally and accidentally Kurogane!" …Except maybe not so unintentionally and accidentally, despite Yui's fervent hopes that such wasn't true._

"_I don't give a damn if it was on purpose or not." Kurogane growled, "But Fai is __**not**__ teaching Wolf magic anymore."_

"_It was __**one**__ mistake Kurogane!" Yui felt his blood boil in his primal instinct to defend his twin. At the same time however, guilt ripped through the man as he realized Kurogane was probably making a right decision._

"_Yeah, one mistake that never happened when you tested the rest of us. I don't want you to hold any more of these lessons for at least a week. After that you help Wolf with his magic for all I care- but until Fai gets enough "sleep" he isn't teaching shit to the kid. Got that?"_

_Shocked that Kurogane would act in such manner Yui suddenly saw for the first time how furious Kurogane was. Furious and worried. The only times the tan man ever became this livid and concerned at the same time was when Tomoyo was involved. Putting his head down Yui sighed._

"_Alright."_

Yui turned slightly to look outside his window. After talking to Kurogane, it should not have been a shock when the tan man himself went in to check on how Wolf was doing, after Sakura had fallen asleep. It had been though. Yui could hardly believe it when he had sensed the man's presence in Wolf's room. When everyone in the Feathers group had finally gone to sleep Yui placed a simple charm over the boy that would wake the man when Wolf awoke. Only then did the tall man allow himself peace and the bliss of unthinking sleep.

The boy had woken up early as Yui had predicted, although relief flooded through the man on the fact that Wolf had actually woken up in the first place. As the teenager had walked out of his room to get water Yui had accosted Wolf in the kitchen, putting a muffler spell on Kurogane's room just to ensure their conversation would not be overheard.

"_Good to see you're okay now."_

_Wolf jumped slightly at the sound of Fai's voice, before hesitating slightly._

"_So it was not a dream."_

_Yui sighed. The boy was beholding him with a guarded gaze, his body language careful. Yui prayed that Wolf wouldn't take this badly. Looking straight into the teenager's eyes, Yui began to speak._

"_I'd like to apologize. Fai had been sleep deprived lately and accidentally had perceived you as a threat. His magic unintentionally went too strong and started harming you." Yui carefully waited for the boy's response, keeping a calm tone._

_Wolf looked a little surprised but nothing like Yui had been expecting. "Oh… I see."_

"_We don't need to continue the lessons if you choose not to," Yui told the boy, "I am more than willing to continue to teach you without Fai, but if you do not wish to continue…"_

_Wolf shook his head. "I'm fine, I'd be grateful if you could continue the lessons- I want to learn how to control my power. It doesn't really matter if Fai teaches me too or not."_

_Taken aback, Yui flashed a small smile of incredulity. "Well, then we can certainly continue. Fai will not be joining us however- he was banned from doing so by Kurogane."_

_Wolf seemed surprised at this, the boy's eyes widening slightly. "Ah, okay." Having finished his glass of orange juice the boy washed the glass carefully before drying and returning it quickly to its former place as Yui watched quietly. The boy nodded his goodbye and was about to leave the kitchen when Yui's curiosity got the better of him._

"_There are very few who have such strong resolve to learn magic," Yui said. "What is your motive?"_

_Wolf stopped and contemplated the question slightly, before turning to face Yui. His amber eyes seemed to glow in the early dawn. After a moment's hesitation he spoke._

"_I'll need all the skills I can get. The world is cruel, who knows what it could throw at me?" A look of determination mixed with a bitter sadness shocked Yui into silence. The man could only watch as Wolf then shuffled quietly out of the kitchen and back to his own room, careful to avoid the loudly creaking floorboards._

"The world is cruel… huh?" Yui mumbled to himself. The man looked over at his twin who had returned sometime in the dead of night. A thousand questions, fears and memories flooded the man as he looked at his sleeping twin; the man's pale and tear-stained currently hidden by his odd sleeping habit of going to bed face-down. That was a habit he had picked up from someone else, someone both twins had cared for deeply, someone Yui knew very well still haunted Fai's dreams.

"I'm sorry… I'm sorry…" A weak voice had emerged from the pillows. Pity and sadness twisted Yui's gut. Walking over to his twin Yui gently squeezed Fai's hand.

"Yeah… I'm sorry too."

* * *

**End of Chapter 15**

**Woohoo! That went by pretty quickly actually… Reviews are sweet! Please? What did you think? The little SxS scene had actually been rewritten at the last minute… XD Anyways, thanks for reading!**

**Fate is calling~**


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